


Rock N Roll Will Break Your Heart

by bigsadenergy



Series: Ripple [1]
Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Blood and Gore, Canon Related, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Not Beta Read, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Sad, Slow Burn, Smut, Street Kid V (Cyberpunk 2077), Survivor Guilt, Terminal Illnesses, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:00:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28531830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigsadenergy/pseuds/bigsadenergy
Summary: There’s no such thing as justice in Night City.River spent his whole life seeking justice. He joined the force because he wanted to put bad guys away. But being a cop doesn’t mean what he thought it did, and despite his best efforts to do the right thing, it seems he’s always on the wrong path.V never believed in justice. Justice has failed her every time she’s ever needed it. Instead, V puts her faith in action, in putting one foot in front of the other the way she always has. Justice will not serve her now, but she’s never been one to take things lying down.There’s no such thing as justice in Night City. But maybe it’s fate that two lost people find each other, even if the timing sucks.
Relationships: Female V/River Ward, V/River Ward
Series: Ripple [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092446
Comments: 26
Kudos: 62





	1. Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> The game only just came out, but I have noticed a distinct lack of River content on this site. I was disappointed in the male romance option for fem!V at first, but boyohboy was I wrong about River. I actually really love him and I was disappointed he didn’t have a role in the main story or a lot of discussion about it, so I decided to take a few things into my own hands. This probably won’t be a super long work, but it’ll mostly follow the main story, along with a few little spins of my own. I might change up the ending cuz, uh, none of the endings felt satisfactory. -_-

_ “There's an opposite to déjà vu. They call it jamais vu. It's when you meet the same people or visit places, again and again, but each time is the first. Everybody is always a stranger. Nothing is ever familiar.” _

_ ― Chuck Palahniuk, Choke _

V takes a drag of the cigarette. She hates it. Hates the way it tastes, the way it smells, the way it burns her throat and lungs. But Johnny’s a nicotine addict and sharing a brain with him means she sometimes shares his impulses and desires. After interrogating Anders Hellman, and all the work they’d put in to get him over the past couple of days, Johnny wants a smoke so badly and V is too tired to put up much of a fight. Besides, it’s looking unlikely she’ll live long enough for lung cancer to have a shot at getting her. 

It’s been a long couple of days without a lot of sleep. Not that sleep comes easily these days anyway. Most of the time, V just works herself half to death until she passes out of sheer exhaustion and doesn’t dream. Ever since the heist, when V dreams, she has nightmares: a hellish combination of her own worst memories and Johnny’s. Panam pointed out, roughly a day ago, that V screams in her sleep. V is not surprised to learn that, even though no one else had ever mentioned it to her. Not even Meredith Stout, who V slept in the same bed as for one night. Of course, Meredith was a one-night-stand, and she was long gone when V woke up.

It’s only ten o’clock. V could easily make it back to her apartment and still get a solid night’s sleep, but the thought of biking all the way back to Watson right now makes her want to vomit. Her head’s killing her, and the relics malfunctioning already knocked her to her knees and made her throw up once tonight. 

And Johnny’s in a mood too. He already talked her ear off about Arasaka and why he decided to become a terrorist. 

V had reached for the meds Misty had given her, and Johnny ignored them, as if daring her to shut him up. V didn’t end up taking them for reasons she couldn’t entirely explain. She doesn’t entirely disagree with him. She hates the corps as much as the next Night City native, but terrorism is a step too far in her mind. Maybe it’s hypocritical, considering a lot of her job involves killing people. V doesn’t care. 

It sometimes scares her that she doesn’t always disagree with Johnny. The line between who she is and who he is gets more and more blurred each day, despite her attempts to firmly draw it. 

Anders Hellman didn’t have good news on that front. He can’t save her. He knows a swedish clinic that could ease her pain. Fucking bullshit, in her opinion. She doesn’t care about that shit. Sure, she’s in pain, but Hellman doesn’t give two shits about saving her, he cares about the chip. What’s in her head could be the secret to immortality, she knows it. Ironic, since it’s killing her. She just wants to live.

V snuffs out her cigarette. It seems to have satisfied Johnny for now. She thinks he’ll be quiet and let her rest tonight. 

She pulls out her phone, almost on instinct, and pulls up  _ his  _ contact. Her heart aches, but she calls the number anyway. She knows he won’t pick up, but there’s still a small part of her that hopes to hear his voice on the other end of the line. When she does, it’s just the voicemail. 

_ “Hola, mi amigos! Jackie here! Busy right now, call you back when I have the chance!” _

V pretends she’s not crying when she glances at Johnny before heading toward the lobby. He doesn’t bother her during these small moments of grief she has. He leaves her be. It’s the small courtesies, she thinks, and she’s begrudgingly grateful for it. 

She pays for another night in the motel room and heads to bed. She only manages to get to sleep after three beers are settled warmly in her stomach.

~

V didn’t dream that night, at least that she can remember. Slept like the dead (ironic, considering she’s a walking corpse these days). It’s roughly eight in the morning. She quietly eats some breakfast and listens to the radio. 

It’s the news, and she realises after a minute that they’re talking about her. 

“ _ Did y’alls power go out last night, too?” _ The female voice says, going on about nuking some burrito before she gets to the “malfunctioning” power stations that let out EMP bursts which knocked some AVs out of the sky. “ _ The NCPD says the damages cost 120 mil all in all! The real tragedy? I can’t stomach a cold burrito.” _

V rolls her eyes. She hates all the news stations in Night City. Either they’re in the corps pocket, running any story that makes the government or the corps look good, not caring about what facts get twisted in the process, or they’re so adamantly anti-corp that they just run bullshit conspiracy theories and pass them off as fact. No such thing as unbiased news anymore, if there ever was. 

“120 million eddies? Hot damn!” Johnny materialises in the seat next to her, smirking. “And all that for one guy. You got some cajones, V!”

He’s pleased. She doesn’t have to try and read him the way she does with other people. She doesn’t need signals like body language or tone of voice to tell her how he feels. She feels what he feels now, in a muted way. Her little stunt with the Kang Tao more than pleased the violent, wild terrorist inside him. 

No one knows it was her, except Panam and the Aldecados, of course. It still feels like she’s leaving her mark, though. Like a big, burning sign that says  _ V was here!!! _ If she’s gotta die, at least she’s making a splash first. At least someone will remember her. 

She grins back at Johnny, startling herself with how pleased she is at the thought of the wrecked AV and the whole mess that followed. 

Her phone rings. She answers it, even though it’s an unknown number. She used to ignore unknown numbers. If they have business, they can leave a voicemail and she’ll probably get back then within an hour. But Goro has a habit of switching burner phones every other week and he gets impatient when she doesn’t immediately respond. She thinks he’s taking the whole fugitive thing way too seriously, but she’s not exactly an expert. 

“Hello,” says the female voice on the other end of the line. “Is this V?”

She sounds proper, educated. Probably a corpo, if V had to guess. V is good at guessing things like that. Being able to size someone up, quick, was one of the reasons V is still alive. She always had good instincts.

“Yep. Who’m I speakin’ to?”

“My names Elizabeth Peralez,” says the woman. “I have a job for you. Word is you’re reliable and discreet.”

_ Peralez? _ The name sounds awfully familiar.

“Can be, yeah, for the right price. How’d you hear about me?”

“You came recommended.”

“By who?”

“Rather not discuss it over the phone. Can you meet?”

“Sure, when and where?”

“I’ll send you the details. See you soon.”

“Sure thing,” V says, and hangs up.

V wolfs down the rest of her meager breakfast, mood significantly improved at the thought of more eddies in her account. She keeps herself busy with these jobs. It helps, she thinks. Keeps her mind off the shitstorm that is her life right now and on whatever needs to get done. A new job will keep her busy while she waits for her other leads to pan out. 

When she hops on her bike and cranks the engine, she’s greeted by Johnny’s guitar. He makes fun of her, sometimes, for always listening to the station that happens to play a lot of Samurai songs. V’s not ashamed that she’s a mild Samurai fan, since long before the chip. No crazed fangirl or anything, but she appreciates a good guitar riff as much as the next person.

Growing up in Night City, V had pretty much forgotten what quiet sounded like. Even alone in her apartment, there was always the noise from outside, no matter what time of day it was. Out here in the desert surrounding the city, there's almost no noise. Nothing but V, her talking brain tumor, the radio, and the open road. There's something about it that makes her feel at peace. 

She cruises down the road at top speed. She remembers, fondly, the day Jackie took her for a spin on this very same bike. He’d just bought it and V hadn’t been able to remember him smiling bigger. They’d zoomed around the whole city, then found a bar and gotten so stinking drunk that Mama Welles had to come get them. She’d been less than pleased, but it was one of the best days V had ever had.

She misses him. It does feel like a part of him is here with her, though, when she rides; like he’s watching over her now.

The city begins to materialise around her, but her mind is only on the road ahead and the music. She always felt at her calmest when behind the wheel of a vehicle. 

The ride is over too soon, and she finds the meeting spot. A sleek car with a beefy looking man right outside is waiting for her there already. 

_ Definitely corpos _ , V thinks when she sees it. She hates them, but at least they pay well. No harm in hearing the woman out. 

She slides off her motorcycle and moves towards the man.

“Are you V?” He says, and she’s surprised by his tone. It’s almost friendly, especially for a corpo bodyguard. Most she’d encountered treated her like she's nothing more than a piece of gum stuck on their boot. “Please, step in the car.”

Ignoring the feeling that she was about to get kidnapped, she does.

Immediately, V remembers where she’s heard the name Peralez before.

“Hello V,” a man with sleek black hair and an expensive suit says, shaking her hand. “I’m Jefferson Peralez.”

She doesn’t need him to introduce himself to know who he is. He’s running for mayor; his face is all over the news.

“You’ve already spoken to Elizabeth, my wife.”

“Nice to meet Mr. Peralez… Mrs. Peralez,” V puts on the charms. She can be polite and formal when she wants to be, she just usually finds the “rules” of formality and politeness stupid and useless. 

“Right again, Liz,” Jefferson says, smiling. “My wife is a great judge of character. Said this would work. Now I see why.”

“Peralez?” V says. “The one running for mayor of Night City?” She can’t help the sly grin that has undoubtedly spread across her face.

“The one,” Liz nods.

“So the one who was DA until recently but just vaulted into a seat on the city council.” V didn’t like politics, but she paid attention anyway. 

“I gather you now understand why discretion is of the utmost importance.” Jefferson flashes his smile at her, and V decides it's the one he uses with the media. It’s just a little too wide to be completely real.

“So, whaddya got for me?” V leans back in her seat as the car begins to move, allowing herself to relax.

It’s unlikely the probably-future mayor of Night City would kidnap her, although stranger things have happened, so she lets her guard down just a little. She’s not in immediate danger and she scanned the car before she got in, so there’s no need to be on edge. 

It’s exhausting, going through life the way V does, her paranoid as constantly on guard. But she’s let her guard down at the wrong time enough times to be able to justify the paranoia.

The question is, does she really want to drag herself into what is undoubtedly going to be some shady political shit.

“Carter, let’s go,” Elizabeth says, and the car begins to move.

“Well, as you’re probably aware,” Liz begins, “Mayor Lucius Rhyne recently passed.”

V is aware. She remembers the day it was announced. She’d been in the elevator of her apartment building the day she finally managed to drag herself out of bed after  _ everything _ , and she’d been on her way to meet Goro at the diner. The snippets of news she caught from the TV in the elevator used to be the only thing that told V what was going on in the world. 

“We wanna know how, why, whatever else is pertinent,” Jefferson continues.

“It was all over the news,” V nods, thinking. If they’re discussing it, then they think something stinks about the former mayor's death. V was never one to get involved in police investigations, especially ones involving dead politicians, but she’s gotta admit, this is interesting.

Elizabeth scoffs. “Of course it was. Media feasted for weeks. Pieces like that are their lifeblood.”

“Right,” V agrees. “Think they missed something?”

“We have reason to believe they did, yes.” 

“Far as I remember, someone tried to zero Rhyne a few days before his death.”

V hadn’t gotten that from the news, she’d gotten it from a drunk guy at the little diner she’d stopped at for coffee in the middle of the night while she was on her way to a job. Man was going on and on about how there was some conspiracy with the whole thing. Maybe the dude was right, after all.

“The NCPD sees no link. They’re saying it was a random cyberpsycho attack.”

“And claiming the mayor died of natural causes,” V continues for her.

“Causes unrelated to the attack,” Liz finishes. “It’s in the official reports. Rhyne died at home due to a ‘cardio-implant malfunction’”.

“These… suspicions of yours. Wouldn’t have anything to do with the upcoming election, now would they?” V asks, an eyebrow slightly raised.

“Course they would,” Jefferson says immediately, and V appreciates his candidness, even if it surprises her. “If Lucius Rhyne was murdered, we want to know -- need to know.”

“What makes you think the cops got it wrong? Got any evidence?”

“Shortly before Rhyne passed, he made cuts in the NCPD budget. Perhaps got on someone's bad side that way.” Liz shrugs.

It's pure speculation, not actual evidence. If V is going to get involved, and she probably shouldn’t, she has to deal with real evidence, not just suspicions.

“In any case, we have the cyberpsycho attack on a BD,” Jefferson adds. 

Elizabeth nods, “Our chief of security scanned it, but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, so to speak. We need a braindance editor, a real one. It’s raw footage.”

“The braindance -- it has to be back where it belongs today or a lot of people will be in a lot of trouble,” Jefferson adds. “If you agree to help, you can see it right now.”

“Where’d you get the scroll?” V asks. 

Although a large part of her is suspicious and positive this was something she ought to stay out of, if she’s being honest with herself, she already knows she’s going to do this.

“Rhyne was making a public appearance. BD scrolling’s standard procedure for events like that,” Jefferson explains. “Following the attack, the NCPD impounded the footage as evidence.”

Elizabeth nods, grimacing a bit. “We had to pull many strings to extract it.

“Alright,” V says, smiling politely and holding out her hand for the shard. “See what I can do.”

“Excellent,” Jefferson says in a way that reminds V uncomfortably of sleazy men who used to sell her drugs in her teenage years. “We’d be happy with any find that would clarify things, alleviate lingering doubts.”

He hands her the shard, and V pulls out her BD wreath, slotting it in. 

The scroll itself is no evidence against anyone and it certainly doesn’t prove anything. But there are enough coincidences to raise V’s eyebrows, even when Johnny insists she’s being paranoid. The mayor's deputy, Holt, leaving literally seconds before the attack is one. The security gate turning off right when the attacker showed up is another. The cyberpsycho was packing some serious chrome, too. V knows her chrome, spent thousands of eddies on her own cyberware. Mantis blades like that wouldn’t have come cheap. 

_ Red Queen’s Race _ ? That's an actual lead. If V had to guess, it’s some kind of sex club, the kind of place an overworked mayor would go to unwind.

Her best bet is the cop, River Ward. He had good timing, so he had to have good info. If V is going to figure out what happened, she’s going to need to know what he knew.

V exits the BD, mentally running over her checklist of leads and prioritising each. The car is stopped and the Peralez’s are already outside, waiting next to a sleek AV. When V steps out of the car, she’s greeted by Jefferson’s easy smile.

“You’re here, fantastic!” He says. “So, uh, did you see anything suspicious? Anything at all? Or are we paranoid?”

“Rather not jump to any conclusions,” V says. She doesn’t want to give them false hope, doesn’t want to make promises she can’t keep. Especially not with politicians. “That’s not much to go on, still too early to say.”

“Sure, sure,” Jefferson nods, taking the shard back when she hands it to him. “Any questions at this point?”

V goes down her list of leads, milking all the information she can from him. Jefferson has never heard of Red Queen’s Race, naturally, and Rhyne was using cheap zoning tricks to make himself look good and have an excuse to make speeches and hold conferences. The mayor's huscle wasn’t NCPD, private security on a corps payroll. The NCPD did have access to the security terminal that crashed, though.

“Cop who saved Rhyne, know anything about him?” If V’s lucky, Jefferson’ll know how to contact the cop, or know who might. 

“Detective River Ward. Good guy. We worked a few cases together. You wanna talk to ‘im, I’ll put you in touch.”

“Sheesh, Ward had great timing.” If that cop hadn’t been there right at that moment, the mayor would’ve flatlined then and there. “Either has crazy good luck or had a source, got good info. I’m gonna need some of each.”

“Well said,” Elizabeth nods approvingly. 

“Sending you his detes,” Jefferson agrees and his eyes flash blue. The confirmation appears on V’s Kiroshi’s. “If you need anything else, let us know, we’ll help.”

With that, the potential-future mayor of Night City stomps out his cigarette and climbs in the AV. V gives them a wave as the door closes. Then she pulls up her phone and pulls up River Wards contact.

He answers on the first ring, “This is Ward, who’m I talkin’ to.”

“Name’s V,” she says. “Looking into the death of one Lucius Rhyne.”

There’s a moment of silence. “Wonder why… you’re not a cop.”

Damn cops and their paranoid asses. V ignores him.

“Listen, I know you tried to warn Rhyne about the cyberpsycho.”

“What else do you know?”

“That you’d best meet with me.”

“Alright,” he concedes easier than V thought he would. “I’m headed to Chubby Buffalo’s.”

“Be there stat,” V says and hangs up.


	2. Red Queen's Race

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V and River work a case. River realizes V might not be your typical merc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is long as hell and very dialogue heavy. It's mostly the actual in-game dialogue, so you could honestly skip or skim most of it. Next part will be more original stuff. Hope y'all like it.

_ “. . .sometimes one feels freer speaking to a stranger than to people one knows. Why is that?" _

_ “Probably because a stranger sees us the way we are, not as he wishes to think we are.” _

_ ― Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind _

When she peels into the parking lot on a bright red Arch motorcycle, River Ward knows that she’s V. He doesn’t know how he knows, but he does. He could call it his cop instincts but he really can’t explain it. 

He watches her through the window. She’s shorter, probably no taller than his chin, but she stands and walks with the confidence of someone twice her size. Though well worn, her dark biker jacket and leather pants are of good quality, probably expensive. A pair of dark aviator glasses cover her eyes.

As she approaches the restaurant, she swipes off her sunglasses and opens the door. Her eyes find him immediately, sitting at the booth with his partner and she heads straight for them.

“Someone here to see you, looks like,” Han says, glancing warily at the stranger. 

River hums in agreement, “Wonder what about…”

“You River Ward?” Her voice is exactly the same as the one on the phone, that distinctive low, slightly accented tone. It’s the sort of voice you don’t forget once you hear it once.

“In the flesh,” he nods. “V, right?” She nods. “My partner, detective Han,” River gestures across the table.

_ What kind of name is V?  _ He thinks to himself. She doesn’t strike him as a private investigator. More like a merc, if the state of her combat boots and her expensive-looking cyberware are anything to go by. V is probably an alias of some kind, to keep enemies she might make away from her loved ones. Or maybe she thinks it makes her seem badass and mysterious. Maybe that works.

Silvery bits of chrome line her arms, interrupting the skin tanned the color of the desert sun. Her knuckles, though, are black cyberware and light wire. Gorilla arms. Heavy-duty cyberware, good for hamfisting your way through things or dealing a seriously painful punch. Expensive, too. When he looks at her eyes, they’re purple. If the unnatural color isn’t a dead giveaway, the tiny Kiroshi logo, barely visible around the pupil, signals that her optics are cyber too. Also expensive. If she’s a merc, she’s a top tier one.

A sly smirk spreads across naturally pouty lips, one hand swiping a piece of short, dark brown hair behind her ear. River gets the feeling she’s already sized him up. 

“Okay. Thanks for agreeing to meet.”

“You really intend to work with a merc?” Han sends River a glare. 

“Don’t know what I intend just yet. For now, gonna see if I hear anything new about Rhyne’s death.” River takes a sip of his coffee.

His partner rolls his eyes. “You back on that? Boss already told you to drop it. Don’t make him say it again. You know he hates to say things twice.”

V’s eyes narrow at Han. She’s sizing him up, and unlike with River, she doesn’t seem to like the conclusions she’s drawing.

“And if you couldn’t give a rat’s fat ass about any of that,” Han continues, ignoring the merc’s eyes on him, “heed my advice, as your friend’s. Just let the case go.”

“See me doin’ anything? Just sittin’ here, sippin’ coffee, listenin’ to gossip.” 

“Fine, do what you want.” Han collects his things and begins to stand. “I’m not about to be a part of this. Gotta go get my little girl anyway. And you two at least find a quieter corner. Wouldn’t wanna be overheard.” He tugs on his coat and heads out the door.

V watches him go before she moves to sit down. 

“Okay, talk,” River orders.

“See detective Han’s not a fan of edgerunners.” She sits, stretching one arm across the back of her seat.

Her sleeve rides up just enough that he can see tattoos decorating her skin. They’re the same style as the ones on her neck and collarbone, the ones peeking out between the waist of her pants and the bottom of her pale green muscle tank. They remind River of the Valentino’s and the kind of ink they usually get. That, combined with her slight accent, leads River to guess that she’s from Heywood, maybe even a Valentino herself, or at least an ex-Valentino.

“Don’t take it personally,” River says. “Detective Han’s not a fan of anybody, ‘cept his daughter.”

V nods, eyes drifting to the window for a moment. 

“You wanted to talk?” River probes and V’s eyes move back to him. 

She’s got this lazy, devil-may-care demeanor that is already beginning to annoy River She doesn’t give a damn about this case, she, like all mercs, cares about how much she’s getting paid.

“Before the attack, you wanted to talk to Rhyne’s huscle, get some info to ‘em,” she says, and he wonders where she got this information. “What was it?”

“Let me ask you a question first. Why do you got your nose in this? Who hired you?” 

V chuckles a little. “Liz Peralez hired me. And her husband, Jefferson.”

_ Of course. _ “The presumed future mayor?” River allows himself a laugh. “Guess I could’ve seen that comin’...” 

River takes a final sip of his coffee and looks around. 

“Know what, Han was right. Acoustics are a little too good in here. Got my car outside.”

“Okay, sure,” V says, standing.

River’s a little surprised how easily she agrees. Most women he knows would never agree to hop in a car with a strange man, even a cop. Hell, he’d tell them himself never to do it. But V is a solo, an edgerunner. She’s got those mean implants and he’d be willing to bet she’s got at least a gun or two hiding somewhere in that jacket. If he tried to hurt her, he’d regret it. Not that he ever would try.

River leads the way to his truck, V close behind. She gets in, and River starts the engine and peels out of the lot.

“Some of the boys from the precinct saw Horvath around Arroyo, shooting up dumpsters, hollering how he’s got a meet with the mayor. Brought ‘im in.” River begins.

V’s eyes aren’t on him, they’re on the road in front of the car.  _ Backseat driver? Maybe a bit paranoid? _

“Brought who in?” She asks, eyes not leaving the windshield.

“Peter Horvath. Cyberpsycho who attacked the mayor later.” River glances at her. She looks tenser in his car than in the restaurant, her fingers tapping an erratic pattern on the dashboard. “They took him downtown, but he got ‘lost’ before they could get his statement.”

“So you saw him as a potential threat, decided to warn the mayor?” She asks, leaning back finally, looking away from the windshield to meet his eyes. “Just like that, ‘cause… ya got a good heart?” The words are a little accusatory.

River bristles at the question. “Make it sound like that's somethin’ to be ashamed of.”

“Ashamed, no.” She looks down at her hands, her voice falling a bit. “Just not somethin’ you see every day.”

Then he understands. She’s still sizing him up, trying to figure out what kind of cop he is. She’s probably used to people only being in it for themselves. She doesn’t expect people to do things without getting something out of it.

“Said he ‘got lost’,” V continues before River can amend the conversation. “How’s that happen, what’s it mean?”

“It means someone didn’t want him counting roaches in a cell that day. And before you ask me, no… I got no idea who. My turn. Why’s Peralez looking at this now? Why’s he want it done unofficial, on the hush-hush?”

“As I see it, Peralez is out to smear Holt,” V answers so quickly and candidly and River is surprised. 

“So he thinks Holt’s involved?”

“Dunno,” V shrugs. “But even if he’s not, a murdered mayor isn’t great optics for his deputy. But Peralez could just be scared.”

“Doesn’t want the job of a guy who just got carried out feet first?”

“Heh, who would?” V chuckles, but her eyes are far away from just a moment. “Red Queen’s Race - heard anything about it? Know what it is?”

“Maybe I have, maybe I do.” River glances at her again. She’s more relaxed now, back to her lazy demeanor. “It got anything to do with Rhyne?”

“Guy was headed there the day he died.”

“Pssh…” River half-laughs.  _ ‘Course he was _ . “Fine, we’re gonna see my CI. All I’ve heard, it’s some fancy-ass club. No idea where to even look for it. CI might know. Then we’ll go talk to the woman Horvath worked for. Or actually… we could see her first. Up to you.”

“Sorry… we?” V gives him a look, somewhere between entertained and suspicious.

“Can’t shake this case. Something’s up. Just look at how quickly it was closed. This way you can get your job done while I find evidence that gets my chief to reopen the case. Win-win. So, where to first?”

“Let’s go see his boss first. Guy who can afford all the chrome he was decked out in should have had the scratch for psychomuting meds, too. We better check it out.”

“Okay,” River agrees, turning towards the market.

V seems to be out of questions. She leans back, resting her head against the headrest. The silence is deafening, at least for River. V seems completely at ease once again, seemingly having decided he didn’t plan on killing her and wasn’t going to crash. River turns on the radio, that shitty rock station  _ Morro Rock _ with the host peddling conspiracy theories. It’s just something to kill the silence, but it helps River relax. 

V starts bobbing her head and quietly humming along to the Samurai song. River thinks of Randy, still missing. His nephew liked rock music. He was usually into heavier stuff but he’d once talked River’s ear off about how legendary Samurai should have been and how Johnny Silverhand was more than a psycho terrorist. 

“Where’d you get all your info on the case?” River asks after a few minutes. 

V glances at him. “Pulled it off a BD, the one the huscle was scrolling the day of the attack.”

“Oh yeah? You a BD editor or something?”

V shrugs, “Sorta. Nowhere near the best in NC, but BD’s are pretty good for recon if you find someone with a good eye for detail.”

“So, draw any conclusions from the scroll?”

“Anything solid? No,” V answers. “But there were enough coincidences to pique my curiosity.”

“Such as?”

“Holt left literally seconds before the attack. Could’ve been pure good luck on his part, but in my experience, no one gets that lucky. And the security terminal crashed right as Horvath came through. Again, could’ve been luck, but my gut says otherwise.”

“Your gut?” River chuckles.

“What? You think only cops have good instincts? If I didn’t trust my gut, I’d be dead a long time ago.”

River nods. He understands. Even respects it. Mercs operate in a moral grey area, often outside the law, but they aren’t as different from cops as River’d like to think. They both put their lives on the line every day, just for different reasons.

The rest of the ride passes in comfortable silence. V’s humming progresses to soft singing. She seems to know the Samurai songs pretty well. River thinks idly that she and Randy would probably get along.

“A good ninety percent of any detective’s job is talking,” River says as they pull into the Cherry Blossom Market in Japantown. 

“And the other ten percent?” V smiles. “What’s it consist of?”

“Writing reports,” River deadpans and she chuckles.

“So who’re we supposed to talk to? Cyberpsycho’s boss, you said?”

“Christine Markov, forty-two. File has her as Horvath’s sole employer. Sole contact, too, actually. C’mon, V.”

They step out of the car and head towards the bustling market. 

“No idea who we’re looking for,” River sighs, hands on his hips. “Gonna have to ask around. I’ll start from the left and you take the right.” 

V agrees and moves off, quickly vanishing in the crowd of people. Her implants aren’t flashy and her clothes aren’t too distinct, she blends in, looks unassuming. Other merc’s River’s met are flashy and wild, with obvious, distinct implants to make them look dangerous. V is dangerous, but it’s subtle. 

River doesn’t have much luck. Too many people here have seen him before, too many know he’s a cop. He doesn’t get much out of anyone. After a bit, he decides to find V, hoping she’s having better luck. He finds her at the edge of the market, leaning on the counter of a food vendor speaking friendly spanish. When V spots him, she flags him down.

“Any luck?” He asks. The vendor eyes him suspiciously.

V exchanges a few more words with her before turning to him, words he doesn’t understand. He’s been meaning to invest in an auto-translator, but he hasn’t gotten around to it yet. Then she turns to him, smiling.

“Yeah, I think I’ve found our girl. Follow me.”

She leads him to a small stand where a woman is fiddling with a broken radio, alone. 

“You Christine Markov?” V asks, leaning casually against the stand. “We have some questions.”

“You badges?” The woman says, tiredly.

“NCPD,” V nods. “This is detective Ward.”

The woman eyes River suspiciously. “Whadya want?”

“Peter Horvath - know he worked here.”

“Yeah he did,” Christine nods. “Then he stopped workin’, started makin’ fuckin’ speeches all the time.”

“Horvath make good scratch here? Coulda bought this whole market with the chrome he was packin’.”

The woman laughs loudly. “Oh yeah, made scads on scads here,” she says sarcastically. “Motherfuckin’ millionaire, like we all are.”

“So where’d he get the eddies?” River pushes. “Know anything?”

“Look, if I knew, I wouldn’t be here sellin’ scop to tower trash. I’d get myself an AV, fly my fuckin’ slim ass outta here. Peter showed up one day with all that. Extra worked up, too. Whacked enough that I asked him where he got it. He said somebody’d finally seen what he was worth. Then he launched right into one of his tirades.“

“When’d the weird behavior actually start?” V asks.

Christine laughs again. “When you’re talkin’ about Peter, ‘weird’ doesn’t mean what it means for everybody else. Horvath never was completely normal. But the post-jail Horvath versus the pre-jail Horvath? Gonks both, but completely different gonks.”

V rolls her eyes. It’s subtle, but River catches it, even though Christine doesn’t. “These speeches - what’d he have to say?”

“‘Rhyne - corps got ‘im by the balls and cock but he still managed to fuck me’,” Christine says in a crude imitation. “His motto.”

V suppresses a chuckle. “Why’d he have it in for the mayor?”

“Hah, lookin’ for reason in that whackjob? Prolly thought Rhyne was talkin’ to ‘im through the TV, promisin’ all sorts of shit, then ceasin’ to give a fuck.” Christine’s voice is starting to grate on River’s ears and he has a feeling that V is getting impatient too. “Look, I told you what I think. In Horvath's world, everybody was out to get ‘im. Lucius Rhyne was out to fuck ‘im, then get ‘im.”

“So as Horvath saw it, who else had it in for ‘im?” V asks, her voice sounding more deliberate, as if she’s reining in her patience. 

“‘Sides Rhyne? Uh, Madame President, mostly,” Christine says, clearly entertained by it. “Then Arasaka, the geezer, and when he died it was his son’s turn. Will that be all, detectives? You’re spookin’ my clientele.”

V rolls her eyes, not subtly this time, and moves away from the stand. River follows her.

“‘Somebody’d finally seen what he was worth’,” River quotes grimly, leaning up against the wall. “Horvath had sponsors.”

V is chewing on her lower lip, eyes down, thinking. “We mighta guessed as much. He had to get the scratch for that chrome somewhere.”

“Might seem like we didn’t get a lot out of that, but sometimes intel makes sense once you’ve got some context,” River starts as they begin to walk back to his car. 

“What is this? A cop lesson?” V gives him a smirk.

He rolls his eyes. “Humor me.”

She puts up her hands in mock surrender and he actually smiles. 

“Say for instance, somebody says they got a headache,” River starts and V doesn’t interrupt him. “Minor detail, means nothing, right? Usually, sure. But then the guy waltzes straight into oncoming traffic. The neighbor remembers someone had worked on the air conditioner in the guy’s unit, guy whose head always hurt. Accident? Coincidence? Or maybe air-dispersed poison. A deliberate hit.”

“You actually caught a case like that?”

“No,” River says sheepishly and she laughs. “Made it up. Still proves my point.”

They round the corner just in time to see two gangoons surveying River’s car.

“Oh great,” River sighs. “Let me handle this, V.”

She’s a merc, no way he’d let her mess with this one. Someone would probably end up dead and that's the last thing they need right now.

The conversation with the Tyger Claw’s doesn’t go as horribly as River expects. They’re assholes and they insult him, and V, which is to be expected. But they listen to reason, or at least, River’s reasonable threats of arrest. V stays silent, but she settles against the wall next to him, eyeing the claws carefully, arms crossed in front of her. 

The Claw’s are about to leave, then one of them pauses, squinting at V. A bad feeling settles in River’s gut. 

“Wait a minute,” one of them says, pointing a finger at her. “I know you, bitch. You’re a fuckin’ killer.”

V raises her eyebrows in mock surprise, “Oh really? How’s that?”

“Jotaro Shobo,” the Claw starts moving closer to her. River’s finger itch for his gun. “You were there that day, at the Ho-Oh club the day someone zeroed him.”

“Ho-Oh club? Never heard of it.” She seems chilled, casual, but her features have tensed up just enough. “Jotaro Shobo? That I have heard of. Sonuvabitch liked torturing joytoy’s, way I hear it. If someone did zero him, well, don’t seem like any great loss to me.”

The gangoon looks reading to lunge at her. “Nah, you were there. I remember your face. Askin’ all kindsa questions.”

“My threat still stands,” River interrupts. “Get out of here, both of you.”

The ganger glares at River, then turns back to V. “This isn’t over, bitch.”

V just rolls her eyes and flips them the bird as they move away. 

“Walkin’ the streets with you,” V says with a hint of a smile. “Downright unsafe. Got beef with all gangs or just the Tygers?”

“I’m a cop. Whaddya think?” He crosses his arms. “‘Sides, they didn’t seem to like you any more than they liked me.”

V shrugs. “Got me mixed up with someone else.” She says it way too casually; River doesn’t know if he believes her.

He sighs. “Good thing nobody got killed. Little less paperwork. I’ll talk to my CI about your club, Red Queen’s race. Assuming you’re still on board.”

For some reason, he hopes she is. She’s shady as all fuck and probably not a huge fan of cops, but he kind of likes her and she’s a natural at this investigating thing. And she can go places he can’t. Without a warrant or probable cause, he’s next to useless. But she’s not tied down by such things.

“You kiddin’?” She chuckles, elbowing his arm playfully. 

“Gonna ride with me?”

“Sure,” she says, and heads towards the truck.

~

The meet with the CI goes well enough. He tries to run when V goes into the shop, but River anticipates it and is waiting in the alley when he emerges, V close behind. They get the address of the club, which had apparently closed just after the mayor died.

When they’re back in the car, V makes some dumb joke about how he oughta buy a girl dinner before taking her to a sex shop. River rolls his eyes, but laughs and says something along the lines of “maybe I will.”

The sun has started to set by the time they reach Bonita Street. River parks a block away from the address.

“This is Animals turf,” V says. Let it never be said that V doesn’t know details about Night City’s gangs. “Any sly cop rules for talkin’ to ‘em?”

“Scratch their bellies,” River deadpans. “Don’t expose your throat.”

“Ha-fucking-ha,” V shoots him a bemused glare. 

“We’re short a warrant, so you’re on your own,” River says apologetically. “You find anything, tell me.”

“Yeah, okay,” V nods. “Better chance of goin’ unnoticed on my lonesome anyway.” She winks before she starts walking to the building.

He calls her, and she patches him into her audio implants. He listens to her argue with the woman at the gate, which gets absolutely nowhere. 

Instead, V goes around the side finding an unused side door that tunnels under the security building. She mutters as she works, apparently breaching the local network and hacking the security. It takes River a moment to realize she’s not actually talking to him, just talking to herself. It’s strangely endearing.

It seems everything is going swimmingly up until he hears a grunt of pain and gunshots in the distance. Panic floods him for a second.

“V? Everything okay?” He almost shouts over the holo.

“Got spotted,” she grunts angrily. An explosion. “One of these fuckers wasn’t on the same network, missed ‘im in my scan.”

“Okay, hang on,” he says, taking off in a run. “Be right there.”

More gunshots, then her connection disappears.  _ Fuck! _ He moves faster, praying he’s not too late, that she’s alright. One woman, even a skilled merc, against a nest of animals is not a fight he’d want to bet on. 

When he gets there, he finds cover and takes out any targets he spots. V’s nowhere to be seen, but some enemies are going down before he shoots them, so she must be alright. 

When the smoke clears and the bullets stop flying, River finds V crouched behind a stack of crates. Her nose is bleeding, but she’s fine otherwise. 

“Guy got a crack at me with some brass knuckles,” she explains. 

It takes V all of five seconds in the warehouse to find the elevator down. There’s more Animals guarding the place, but V’s a damn good shot and they have cover and the element of surprise on their side. 

At one point, V yells “Cover me!” and sprints for a set of crates on their right. She vaults up them and tackles a guy on the second floor who’d been making it next to impossible to move cover. Once he was dealt with and V was shooting from above, the rest proved easy targets. The whole ordeal barely lasted five minutes. 

“Let's try to find something that looks like an office,” River moves towards the stairs. “Every club has one.”

“Roger that,” V says and disappears into another hallway.

River takes the 1st floor, checking the various rooms for anything that looks important. V’s on comms again, and he can hear her muttering to herself ( _ “Fuck is this? Nope, not helpful. Ew, gross…” _ ).

Suddenly she screams out, loudly. There’s an electrical noise, some kind of interference, and then her connection vanishes again. River rushes upstairs, starting to feel panic again. He hears no gunshots or voices, so what the fuck happened? Where is she?

He finds her in one of the booths. She’s lying on the ground convulsing, eyes rolled back in her head and a BD wreath on. 

“V!” He shouts, all sense of calm lost.

River doesn’t know what’s causing the issue, but the BD wreath is a good start so he yanks it off her head.

She’s breathing heavily and grunting with pain, but when her eyes close and then reopen again, they focus on him. A good sign.

“Shit! V, you okay?” He helps her to a sitting position, leaning her against the seat.

She’s trembling, eyes darting every which way, muttering to herself to breathe.

“V! You hear me?” He puts his hand on her shoulder, trying to steady her.

She lets out another pained grunt before she focuses back on him. “Thanks for leapin’ into action back there.” Her voice is strained and hoarse.

“No problem,” River says. What else is he supposed to do? Leave her to whatever the fuck just happened? “You feelin’ okay?”

“I’ll live,” she sighs, wincing. 

“What was that, V?”

“You ask me, wa’n’t a heart attack that killed Rhyne.”

“As I said from the start… but--”

“Someone spiked his BD,” V interrupts. “That’s what killed him.”

“Fuck…” River mutters. It explains a lot. Certainly explains why V nearly flatlined on him just now. “Think you could be right.”

V starts to stand, waving River away when he tries to help her. She looks a little unsteady, so River hangs close just in case she stumbles. 

The next room overlooks like the office they’re looking for. V immediately sits down at the computer and pulls up the security feeds. They find the one they need almost instantly. Han on the phone, talking about covering up the mayor's death.

River feels like the wind’s just been knocked out of him. V goes strangely, eerily quiet. 

“Think we’ve seen everything we needed to,” River speaks up finally. “Let’s go.”

~

Han’s already waiting for them in the Chubby Buffalo’s parking lot. Somewhere down the line, it started pouring rain. River hadn’t turned the radio on and V hadn’t said a word to him. River parks. V looks mad, actually angry. He hadn’t taken her for one to care about corrupt cops, but maybe he’d had her figured wrong from the start.

“Fuck,” River grunts, rolling his shoulders. He was tense, taut as a bowstring. This is not going to go well and he knows it.

When he gets out, V follows, right behind him. He half expects her to get right on her bike and fuck off somewhere, but she hovers just behind him, arms crossed, face impassive, knuckles clenched and white.

“Still hangin’ around with this punk?” Han says, gesturing to V. 

Somehow, that pisses River off even more. “Shut it, Harold. I know what you did. Not about to ask why you covered it up. Not even why you jumped into this mess in to begin with. Just wanna know - who gave you the order?”

“What’s it matter, River?” Han says, casually smoking a cigarette. “Why d’ya even care? Your conscience is clear, you can sleep tight at night. Ya know why? ‘Cause I took all the responsibility. You got no idea how this city works. Think your goddamn inspirational, idealist bullshit actually means something? It doesn’t, never did.” Han’s eyes fall to V, who’s giving him a look that could kill. “Ey, don’t look at me that way, merc. You know I’m right.”

“You know fuck all,” V says through gritted teeth.

“V, this isn’t your biz,” River forces a smile her way. “I’ll take care of it.”

“How you gonna do that? Am I under arrest?” Han is mocking him now. 

“Got a scroll, got a motive, got your confession. So yeah, you could be,” River barks, pacing. “But it wouldn’t make much sense. You don’t even gotta say who ordered you to go and clean up. I know anyway. So, since even our brass’s fingers are all over this, I gotta take it to internal.”

“They won’t do a thing either. Not to me. They’ll put you in their sights, though…” Han points at him. “Just go home, Ward. Get some sleep. Find all this easier to take in in the morning. I mean, that’s my plan.”

Then Han gets in his car and drives away. 

“Fuck,” River curses again, walking to the edge of the overpass and leaning on it.

V appears next to him, looking out over the city. 

“So, what now?” She asks. 

He glances at her. She’s not really looking at anything, her eyes strangely distant. He definitely had her figured wrong. She may be a merc, but she cares. This case matters to her. It’s more than the eddies for her.

“Won’t let this go. Can’t. Holt murdered Rhyne. Wanted his seat. Oldest, tritest motive in the book. That’s why I believe it. Used the NCPD to cover his tracks.”

V nods. “Only one who stood to gain.”

“Takin’ this to Internal Affairs. Got enough to get this case reopened.”

“Do it,” V agrees.

“And you? Gonna report back to the Peralezes?”

“Yep.”

“Okay,” he nods. “I’m gonna stay, observe a little. Thanks, V.”

She smiles softly at him. It’s different than her usual smirk, more tender, kinder.

She pulls out her phone and River listens to her have a brief conversation with someone, probably one of the Peralezes. When she hangs up, she begins to move towards her bike. Then she stops, hesitating, turning back towards him. 

“Be careful, River,” she says. 

He looks at her dumbly for a moment, surprised. “You too, V.”

She nods again, and swings a leg over her bike, exiting the parking lot with a roar of her engine. River watches her until she disappears from his line of sight. 


	3. Favors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> River calls V for help on a case.

_ “Lies and secrets, Tessa, they are like a cancer in the soul. They eat away what is good and leave only destruction behind.” _

_ ― Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince _

“What d’ya know about an edgerunner who calls herself V?” 

River’s at a club. He can’t remember the last time he came to a place like this for fun instead of work. He’s working now, technically. He’s certainly not here for fun.

His contact, an old friend from the force who now works security at the high-end club is sitting at the bar next to him. The man hears all kinds of shit, and the club is popular among mercs and fixers. Apparently a fixer, Dino Dinovic, spends a lot of time here. 

“V,” River’s contact hums. He’s a big man, tall and broad and fucking ripped. An intimidating presence, even to River, who isn’t exactly small himself. “That’s a name that I’ve heard a lot lately.”

“Yeah?” River raises an eyebrow. “What’s the word on ‘er?”

“Real up’n’comer, she is. Few weeks ago, she wasn’t much more than a small-time merc blastin’ scavs for a few ennies. Dunno exactly what changed, but pretty much all the fixer’s in town’ve put ‘er at the top of their lists. Want a job done clean and quiet? Word is V’s the one you call.” The man takes a sip of his beer. “Why d’ya ask? She do somethin’?”

“Nah, don’t think so,” River sighs. “Ended up workin’ with ‘er on a job. Just tryin’ to figure out who I’m dealin’ with.”

“Hmmm…” his friend seems to think for a second. “Well, be careful.”

“Why d’ya say that? Sounds like she’s pretty reliable.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard, but uhh…”

“But what?”

“Well, she’s got a string of unexplained dead bodies associated with her name. Not sayin’ she killed any of ‘em, but people she works with have a bad habit of ending up dead or goin’ missin’ all together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Dexter DeShawn, fixer, a merc called Jackie Welles, and a netrunner called T-Bug. The Welles kid, he was ‘er partner I think. Ended up dead a few weeks back. And Deshawn and T-Bug are just straight up missin’. Nobody knows what happened to them, but they were involved in somethin’ big with Welles and V.”

“Sure seem to know a lot,” River raises an eyebrow.

“Keep my ear to the ground for ya,” his friend chuckles. 

“Dexter DeShawn… why do I know that name?”

“Big time fixer. Could be layin’ low somewhere, but from what I heard, he had big plans, big jobs lined up. Doubtful he’d just drop off somewhere.”

“Okay, well, thanks for the heads up, I guess,” River sighs. 

He doesn’t want to believe V had anything to do with anybody’s death or disappearance, he just didn’t get that vibe from her. But she is a merc with a likely-shady history, which is exactly why he’s here asking about her. 

“What about a guy called Jotaro Shobo?” River asks.

“Oh, him?” His friend looks surprised. “Big in the Tyger Claw’s I think. Somethin’ ‘bout XBD’s, yeah? Yeah, I think someone flatlined him a week or so back.”

“Any idea who?”

He shrugs. “Merc, probably. Word is Mox fronted the eddies, guy was torturing joytoy’s in the name of his biz. Job was in Watson, so if it went through a fixer, probably went through Regina.”

“Think this V coulda carried out the hit?”

“‘S possible, yeah,” he nods. “But who the hell knows. Dozen mercs out there that coulda done it.”

“Hmmm,” River hums. “Well, thanks for the info.”

“Anytime, choom,” his buddy claps him on the back. “And I’m bein’ serious about watchin’ your back with this V. She’s prolly fine, but keep your iron strapped on if you plan on workin’ with her again. Just in case.”

“Will do,” River says.

~

River doesn’t explicitly plan on working with V again. In fact, he kind of figures he’ll never see her again. 

Besides, he’s got a billion other things to worry about right now. Taking the Rhyne case to Internal Affairs had put a target on his back within his Brass and he’s walking on thin ice up a slippery slope. One wrong move and he’d be suspended or kicked off the force entirely. It’s taking all his effort to avoid that right now. No sense in spending time worrying about a merc who has no bearing on his life.

Detective Han is his own problem. Since their confrontation in the Chubby Buffalo’s parking lot, Han has acted like nothing ever happened. And River’s request for a new partner has been ignored completely. He’s still got cases to worry about, so for now he just has to suck it up and keep Han on a tight leash.

The most recent case to land on River’s desk is the brutal murder of a young woman. The only evidence is her mutilated a corpse and an XBD of the murder an undercover cop managed to swindle off a dealer who vanished off the face of the earth less than an hour later. 

A dozen experts, including River and Han, have looked at the XBD by now. It’s heavily edited. No faces can be identified, other than that of the murdered girl. No matter how many times River looks at it, he can’t see anything useful.

“Maybe it’s best to let this one go,” Han suggests. “Nothing we can get from the scroll and there ain’t much evidence besides that.”

“Fuck no,” River hisses.

“Well you got a better idea? A new approach?” Han’s tone is accusatory.

_ BD’s are pretty good for recon if you find someone with a good eye for detail. _ V had said that almost a week prior. She’d pulled enough info off a BD to end up contacting him. The Peralez’s had hired her because she knew BD’s.

It’s an idea. But River doesn’t have the scratch to pay her. High-end merc like her is bound to be expensive as fuck. He doubts the city’d be willing to pay her either. He might be able to swing it as a favor, say he’d owe her. In her line of work, a cop owing you a favor could be a powerful thing. Maybe it’d sound appetizing enough for her to bite, even if it felt like a dirty thing to do. 

River sighs. No harm in asking her. 

“Maybe,” he says. “Know someone who’s s’posed to be good with BD’s. Maybe she can find something we missed.”

“A BD editor who’s better than the one’s the NCPD hires?” Han raises an eyebrow.

“I dunno, maybe,” River glares at him. “She found stuff that the NCPD missed when she looked at the Peter Horvath scroll.”

“Wait, are you suggesting hiring  _ that  _ merc?” Han’s voice is so full of venom. “Jesus, River. Even if you had the scratch to pay ‘er, there’s no way the boss would ever give the green light on that.”

“Another set of eyes, another perspective; could be just what we need to crack this thing,” River protests, feeling more frustrated and petulant by the second.

“Word of advice, not that you’ve ever listened before,” Han points an angry finger at him. “Merc’s like her, they might seem like your friend, might seem helpful and reliable, but they’re only in it for themselves. She only cares about what she can get from you. You’re just a means to an end. If you were thinking with your upstairs brain, you’d realise that.”

“Upstairs brain?” River stands, yelling. “Just what the hell are you insinuating?”

Han laughs mockingly. “Come on, Ward. She’s a fine piece of ass, any man with eyes can see that. But she ain’t fucking worth it and you’re just searchin’ for a good reason to see her again.”

“That’s not what this is about, Han. My personal feelings about her do not factor in.”

“Like hell they don’t!”

River clenches his fist. “Can’t just let this go cold, Han. If there’s a chance, I gotta try.”

“Ugh,” Han puts his hands up in frustration. “Fine, do what you want. But I’m gonna focus on the Ricci case, you know, the one with actual leads. Watch yourself.” 

With that, his partner stalks off.

River sits back down and pulls out his holo, queuing up V’s contact. His finger hovers awkwardly over the call button for a moment before he presses it. 

She picks up on the second ring. “ _ River? _ ”

“Hey, V--”

“ _ Oi! Cállate! Mierda, idiotas! _ ” V shouts in angry spanish, her voice a little more distant for a second. River doesn’t need to udnestand what she’s saying to know they’re probably curses. There’s some shouting in the background before she speaks up again. “ _ Sorry. What’s up? _ ”

River sighs. “I… er… uh. I got a BD, could use a second set of eyes.”

“ _ Oh, really? _ ” V says, her voice rising in pitch. “ _ You’ve got my attention. _ ”

“Part of a murder case,” River explains. “Had a lot of people down here look at it, but nobody’s found anything useful on it. I dunno, might be useless but I’m not willin’ to give up just yet. Was hopin’ you might find something we missed.”

“ _ Well I am intrigued. Certainly sounds more interesting than any other job that’s come through today. Sure, River, I’ll take a look. _ ”

“Really?” River almost can’t believe how easily she agreed. “What about payment? I dunno how much you charge.”

“ _ Ah, don’t worry about it. We’ll figure somethin’ out later. Where should I meet ya? _ ”

“Uh, I’m at the precinct right now. Got the scroll here.”

“ _ ‘Kay, text me the detes. Be there stat. _ ”

She hangs up before River can get another word in. He texts her the coordinates of the precinct and she replies with a smiley face. 

_ Ohhh boy _ , River thinks. 

~

She’s there within fifteen minutes. River meets her in the parking lot. She’s sporting a new, bright yellow jacket and a fresh black eye. 

“How’d you get that?” River asks, an eyebrow raised.

“The shiner?” V chuckles. “Boxing match.”

“Boxing?” 

She smirks at him. “I have hobbies.”

“Naturally your hobby, when you’re not shooting people, is punching them.”

“I’m a simple girl, Ward.” She winks at him and he decides to do his best to ignore it. This isn’t a social call, after all. “So where’s this BD?”

“Follow me,” he says, and leads her through the precinct. 

A few other badges eye them as they walk through. V walks as though she owns the damn place, but she does that anyway. Only time he can recall her not looking like no one can touch her was when the spiked BD nearly flatlined her.

The room where they edit the BD’s is all the way in the back of the building. It’s empty when they get there. River had gotten everything all set up for her while he waited. 

“You sure you wanna do this?” River asks. “It’s rough. Girl gettin’ murdered on the scroll, all from her perspective.”

“Ain’t my first rodeo, Ward,” V says, suddenly sounding very serious. “Seen a lot of virtu’s like that. I can handle it.”

“Okay, but if at any point you want out, or want a break, let me know. I won’t hold it against you.”

V nods, putting on the wreath. “Keep that in mind, thanks.”

She goes through the BD meticulously, frame by frame, watching the whole thing before she switches to editing mode. Then, she checks every single layer, visual, audio, and thermal. He’s never seen anyone use the tech this way before. The whole time, he watches on the computer screen as she talks him through what she’s seeing. He takes notes, finding minor details that might not be helpful but were still news to River. 

“Hold on,” V says abruptly, pausing the scroll and focusing on something out the window of wherever it is they were holding the girl. 

River looks at her. “You okay?”

“Yeah, ‘m fine,” she says dismissively. “Look out the window there.”

He does. He sees some lights across the street, a neon sign that’s a bit blurry, maybe a diner of some kind. He thinks it says  _ Marigold’s _ , but he’s not completely sure. 

“Yeah, some kind of restaurant?” He asks.

“Not just any restaurant,” V shakes her head slightly. “Marigold’s ain’t a chain. Only one of ‘em in Night City. It’s in Northside. Used to eat there all the time with-- well I’ve been there a lot.”

“You’re sure that’s where it is?”

“Yeah, there’s an old warehouse across the street. Maelstrom moved in a few weeks back, started harassing people who got too close. Probably where your girl got killed.”

“Shit, V, I think you may be onto something,” River breathes. 

He almost can’t believe it. He’d been starting to think this case was going to go cold, but V actually found something.

“No harm in checking it out, right?” V says, smirking as she takes the BD wreath off.

“You got that right,” River agrees. “Definitely worth a shot.”

“You ain’t goin’ alone are you?” V gives him a strange look.

River shrugs. “Han’s workin’ on something else and we’re understaffed as it is… so yeah, guess I’m on my own.”

“Yeah, fuck that.” V sits forward. “I’m comin’ with.”

“V, I can’t afford you.”

“Ain’t chargin’ ya, River.”

“It’ll be dangerous.”

“More dangerous than going alone?” She raises her eyebrows. “Come on, I’ll watch your back. ‘Sides, we make a good team and you know it.”

River thinks for a moment. Han wouldn’t like it, but fuck him. Going alone is a stupid idea.

“Yeah, okay, fine. But I’m drivin’.”

~

V gives him directions to the diner and warehouse. It’s definitely easier to have her show him where to go than spend the time looking up the details on his own. They pull up outside, parking across the street. V’s out of the car and moving towards the building before River even turns the engine off. Instead of heading straight for the entrance, which River half expected her to, she moves towards a broken looking window and peaks through it. He follows her, trying to get a look at the outside guard.

“This room looks like it’s where your girl was killed,” V mutters, eyes glowing blue suddenly.

The room is covered in blood, more blood than one person could bleed. He shudders.

“Yeah, looks like,” River agrees. “Blood gives me probable cause, I’d say. What’re you doin’?”

“Breaching their network, hacking their surveillance,” she says. “They’ve got what looks like a real solid editing setup in the basement, probably where they edit those scrolls. Might be able to find the raw footage, could have more evdience on it.”

“How’s the security?”

“There’s a lot of ‘em holed up in here,” V says through gritted teeth. “Could be tough.”

_ Naturally _ . “Any ideas?”

“Yeah, maybe,” V nods. “Got a turret in one of the main rooms, could hack it, cause a little chaos. Might be the distraction we need to slip in.”

“Know how to get down there?” 

“Workin’ on it…” she grunts. “‘Kay, think I got a good route. There’s a maintenance staircase on the left side of the building. Got one guy over there, easy pickings. If I hack the turret, most of ‘em will be preoccupied. We just gotta be quick.”

“Let’s do it,” River nods, pulling out his gun. 

V’s eyes flash orange for a moment. “Aight, the daemon has been uploaded. God I love turning their own tech against them.”

She rises from her crouching position, fingers gripping the bottom of the window’s broken shudders. With a heavy grunt, V forces the shudders up, giving them their entrance. She climbs through, pulling out a silenced pistol. River follows.

V takes the lead. There are shots in the distance, muffled by the thick concrete walls; the unlucky Maelstromers tangoing with their rogue tech. River’s impressed with how little time it took her to understand the layout of the building just by looking at the security cams. She’s a true professional, that’s for damn sure.

They reach the stairwell V spoke of. V’s stray guard is standing at the top of it, facing away from them. V puts her finger to her lips before she sneaks up behind the man, grabbing him around the throat and cutting off his airflow until he loses consciousness. She lets him down gently. 

The editing room is just a little ways down the hall from the stairs. No one’s really around. V’s distraction worked better than River could’ve hoped.

River heads in, V double checking to make sure they weren’t going to be interrupted. Her eyes glow blue again as she hacks back into the surveillance feeds. 

“I’m gonna call this in,” River says, finding a cardboard box full of BD shards. “Who knows how many XBD’s have come through here.”

“M’kay,” V nods. 

He pulls out his radio and calls it in. Han responds immediately, saying he’s headed their way. 

“Riv, we have a problem.” V’s voice has turned urgent.

“What is it?”

“Turret’s been dealt with, couple of guys’re heading our way.”

River clenches his fists. “Fuck, okay, lets delta and wait for backup.”

“Wait, no, they’re already in the hallway. They’ll spot us.”

“Then what do we do? Hide?”

“Yeah, best shot,” V nods, scrambling for a cabinet that looks just barely large enough to hold her. 

River dives for the closet, sliding the door in front of him. He can still see into the room through the slats. The cabinet door shuts, V managing to squeeze herself inside somehow. He has his gun ready, body tense.

Two men, very clearly Maelstrom, come into the room. They’re discussing the rogue turret, and how that sort of thing could happen. One of them goes and leans against the wall right by V’s cabinet. The other moves to a desk on the left side of the room, sitting down and propping his feet up. 

River’s radio crackles. He silences it immediately, but it’s enough. Both men go quiet, staring in River’s general direction. He holds his breath. 

One man begins to walk slowly towards the closet. Fuck, he’s screwed. 

The man’s hand is nearly on the handle when V pops out of her cabinet, shooting both men in the back in quick succession, the silenced shots echoing slightly in the small room. They fall and River lets out a breath of relief.

“River, let’s fuckin’ delta,” V says urgently as he opens the closet door. 

They leave the room, moving back up the stairwell the way they came. The hallway at the top is blocked by a few gangoons. V curses under her breath and drags River to cover in a random room. 

“Any more netrunning tricks up your sleeve?” River grunts breathlessly. 

V makes an unintelligible noise. “Thinkin’, give me a second.

River wants to point out that they may not have a second. The guys seem to have realised their hideout has an intruder or two. They’re shouting, searching rooms. Someone must’ve found the bodies and alerted the whole nest. They didn’t have long.

Before River can voice his concern, V peaks out of their cover, eyes flashing orange. The nearest guard shouts, one hand going for his eyes. A second later, the second guard does the same. 

“Now,” V hisses, grabbing River by the sleeve and practically dragging him behind her. She slides right by the blinded gangers, beelining for the main entrance. 

“Hey!” A third guy, one they hadn’t noticed before, shouts from behind them. 

Gunshots ring out, bullets flying, hitting the floor at V and River’s feet. V curses loudly, dragging him around a corner for cover. She’s switched from her silenced pistol to a shiny looking, unsilenced one. 

She peeks out and fires a few shots before turning back to him. “We’re fucked,” she says, breathing hard.

River can only nod, Then guys appear on their flank. They’re surrounded. For these ganger’s its like shooting fish in a barrel.

Except that one of those fish is V and V is apparently insane.

V pulls two grenades out of her pocket, pulling both pins and throwing them in the general directions of their attackers. 

“Let’s delta!” She screams and makes a break for the main entrance. 

River doesn’t need to be told twice. He runs, keeping pace just behind V. They reach the door just as both grenades go off. It’s locked, but V forces it open, her gorilla arms tearing the metal doors to pieces. Gunfire follows them.

There’s a sudden stabbing pain in River’s leg, just above his right knee. He doesn’t have time to process it, to process what’s happening. He feels his leg giving out underneath him, the concrete suddenly much closer to his face than he remembered it being.

“River!” V screams, firing behind them before grabbing one of his arms and wrapping it around her shoulders. 

She hoists him back up, dragging him awkwardly towards a large truck. They hide behind it. River can see his car, but they’re pinned down.

V is taking potshots from behind the car. 

“River, you alright?”

He forces himself to focus. There’s a wound in his lower thigh. It’s not deep, a low caliber bullet just at the surface. But it hurts like a bitch. 

“Caught a bullet. Not too deep. Think I’ll live.”

“You fuckin’ better,” V grunts. “Ain’t many of these guys left, just hold on a little longer. Put some damn pressure on it.”

River nods dumbly, pressing both of his hands to the wound, gritting his teeth through the pain. 

V picks off the remaining maelstromer’s in a matter of minutes. Then she’s hoisting him back up. He grimaces, biting his tongue so as not to cry out. 

“There’s a ripper I know close by,” V says, her voice short and tense. Even with her implants, dragging River to his car can’t be easy. “We’re going there.”

She manages to get him across the street and into the passenger seat of his truck. 

“Keep pressure on it,” V instructs, starting the engine and peeling away. “Talk to me, River. Gotta make sure you’re still awake.”

“Ain’t about to bleed to death, V,” River says through gritted teeth.

“I dunno, that’s a lot of blood leaking out of you right now,” V sounds like she’s trying to joke, but there’s something wild and panicky about the way she’s acting right now. “Just hang in there, ‘kay?”

“Yeah, I’m tryin’,” He nods. 

V speeds the whole way. He doesn’t think she touched the brakes a single time, least not until she skids to a stop in an alley. 

Then she’s out of the car, dragging him out as best she can without hurting his leg more. She manages to get him inside a shop that’s bathed in hot pink light and smells like lavender incense.

“Misty!” V barks urgently at a girl behind the counter. “Vik have any patients right now?”

“No,” the girl looks a little alarmed. 

“Preem! Help me with him will ya?” 

Without another word, the girl drapes his other arm over her shoulders. Together, the two women drag River out a back door, down some stairs, and into a dim room full of medical equipment. There’s an older man watching something on his monitor, but he immediately stands and directs V and Misty to a chair when he sees them. 

They lie him down on it. 

“The hell happened, V?” The man says.

“Gonk got himself shot by Maelstrom,” V collapses into a chair on the other end of the room. 

“Got myself shot?” River chuckles half-heartedly. “That whole thing was your idea.”

“Hey, ain’t you supposed to be dyin’,” V quips, smirking slightly. “The dyin’ don’t make snarky comments at people who just saved their ass.” She’s smirking, but her eyes are still wild. 

“Okay, okay,” the ripper says. “V, Misty, out. I’ll take care of ‘im.”

V and Misty leave the room. The ripper gives River a shot of something and his eyes close.

~

River wakes up in the same room. His leg feels a little stiff, but it’s bandaged up and doesn’t hurt anymore. The ripper is sitting on the other side of the room watching a boxing match on his monitor. 

River sits up, groaning a little when the movement sends a stab of pain through his leg.

“Hey there, champ,” the ripper says, standing and moving to River’s side. “Here, take this for the pain.” He hands him a pill and River takes it and swallows it.

“Thanks,” he says gratefully.

“Sure thing,” the man nods. “I’ll give you a bottle of ‘em. You’re gonna be sore for a few days, they’ll help.”

“What do I owe ya?”

The man just laughs. “You’re lucky it was V who dragged you in here. She’s a friend. I ain’t gonna charge ya.”

“What? No, seriously, what do I owe ya?”

“Nothing, kid,” the ripper says, patting him on the shoulder. “Just don’t get shot again, okay? I’m Vik, by the way.”

“River,” River sighs. “How do you know V?”

“Used to be her boxing coach, now I’m her go-to ripper. Done all ‘er fancy implants. She’s waiting in Misty’s shop, by the way. Looked like a ghost when she brought you in. Scared the shit out of ‘er, you did.”

“Thanks, Vik,” River smiles. 

Slowly, he stands. The first few steps are hard, but he finds his rhythm, an awkward, limpy rhythm, pretty quick. It’s not ideal, but it’ll heal fast. 

Sure enough, V is waiting in the shop. She’s sitting in one of the chairs, tapping her foot as she talks quietly with Misty. When she sees him, she stands.

“How ya feelin’?” She grins at him.

“Sore,” River shrugs. “But I’ll live. Thanks for bringin’ me in.”

“‘Course,” V brushes his thanks off. “Hope you don’t mind, I used your phone to call Han, let ‘im know where you were since we delta’d before your backup arrived. He says they found a whole lot of raw XBD’s. A goldmine for catchin’ those guys.”

“Good,” River leans against the wall. “Well, that’ll be a ton of paperwork later.”

“Seein’ as you got shot, maybe they oughta let you take a day or two off from the paperwork.”

“Ah, someone’s gotta do it.”

V sighs, leaning back against the wall. It’s like she visibly relaxes now that everything’s fine.

“Hey, I owe ya one,” River says. “For all of this. I can’t pay you, but I owe you, okay?”

V gives him a strange look. “Fuck that. No way, we’re even now.”

“Even?”

“Yeah, you helped me with the Rhyne case and you saved my ass from that spiked BD in the process. So we’re even.”

“I’m literally giving you an opportunity to have a cop owe you, and you say no?”

“I don’t want favors from you, River.” She crosses her arms.

This is unexpected. Han’s words echo in his mind.  _ She only cares about what she can get from you. You’re just a means to an end. _ If she didn’t want favors, what does she want?

“Then what--” River starts.

“How ‘bout this, buy me a beer,  _ then  _ we’ll call it even?” She smirks at him, tilting her head back a bit.

“Okay, sure,” River concedes. 

~

Twenty-minutes later, they’re sitting in a random bar. River drives, intending to take V to the precinct where her motorcycle is still parked. But it turns out V is dead serious about that beer. She points at a random bar and River obligingly parks out front.

V starts them off with shots of tequila, which is apparently her favorite liquor. 

“Always reminds me of bein’ a wayward teen in Heywood,” she explains. 

Then they order beers. She talks, more than just sarcastic comments and remarks about what they were working on. She tells him about where she’s from, about Heywood (“Imagine a place where everyone is your brother or sister, or at least a distant cousin. That’s Heywood.”)She talks about Vik and Misty, who are apparently close friends of hers, and how they all came to be friends. She mentions someone called Jackie, but she makes no effort to explain who he is. River considers asking, making the connection between this and the name his contact spilled earlier, but he gets the feeling she’s not telling him for a reason.

She’s by no means opening up to him, but he understands. This is friendly, it does not have to mean more than that. Her stories are deliberately devoid of certain, more  _ personal  _ details. That, and they most certainly involve crime. River’s pretty sure she isn’t just going to spill details of Night City’s underworld and her own involvement in it to a cop.

And River talks back. He tells her a few of his own stories from on the job. He talks about the force and his frustrations. 

It’s strange how he actually enjoys being around her. He can’t actually remember the last time she was able to just relax around someone, but V, no matter how shady she is, isn’t going to shiv him in the back the first chance she gets. She’s good company. 

“Okay, V, I gotta ask you about something.” River glances at her. Her face has gone still, registering his change in tone from friendly and jovial to low and serious.

“Okay, sure,” she says, squinting.

“Jotaro Shobo?” River ask. He’s been thinking about it, trying to figure it out. He doesn’t know why he cares, but he wants to know if it was her. Hell, if it was, he might just congratulate her, based on what he knows about the dead fucker. “You do that hit?”

V gives him a strange look. “River…”

“I ain’t gonna arrest you V. Hell, if it was you, could probably collect a bounty from the NCPD. I’m just curious.”

V sighs, “Yeah, okay, fine. It was me. Was a damn gonk about that hit, too. Gonk enough that the Tyger we ran into last week recognized me.”

“Sure you got plenty of eddies for that one,” River mutters. 

“Yeah, I did. Wasn’t really about the eddies, that one.”

“Then what was it about?”

“Justice, I guess. Or just plain revenge, depending on how you look at it.” V shrugs, downing the rest of her second beer. “I mean, there’s no such thing as justice in this city, not really. But the things he did, he needed to pay. Woulda done that hit for free if it meant that one of the earth's royal scumbags wasn’t breathing anymore.”

River nods, thinking. “I gotta believe there’s still justice in this city though. Not sure how I’d cope otherwise.”

V chuckles. “Guess that’s why you’re a cop and I’m not.”

“Guess so.”


	4. A Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> River finds V in a diner late at night grappling with herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last two chapters were long bitches, so here's a shorter little one full of angst and hurt/comfort for yall. Next chapter will be about the second quest in River's questline. Probably gonna do half from V's perspective, since it's been mostly River so far, but some from his too. Thanks for reading <3

_ “It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that's important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” _

_ ― Mahatma Gandhi _

It’s pouring rain and it soaks River to the bone on his way into the restaurant from his truck. At this late hour, or early, depending on how one looks at it, the Chubby Buffalo is almost completely deserted. There's a tired looking waitress fiddling with the coffee machine, a chef staring into space instead focusing on the food he’s frying, and a couple of teenagers using the arcade-machines. 

River nods at the waitress in a friendly manner and makes for his usual spot in the corner. Except that his usual booth is taken. 

It takes him a moment to realise that the woman, who’s sitting there alone with her head in her hands, is familiar. 

V doesn’t see him. Her hair is damp and frizzy, her soaked jacket draped over the back of the booth seat. There’s a cup of coffee in front of her, but it’s full, untouched. 

For a moment, River debates the best course of action. Would it be inappropriate of him to sit down with her? Sure, they seem to be friendly, but he doesn’t really know her. And she seems to be having a moment. She doesn’t look okay at all. Is it his place to check on her? 

His internal debate ends when V slowly looks up, her eyes falling on him. They’re bloodshot and puffy, and her dark circles are more intense than River recalls from the last time they met. 

Before she can open her mouth to speak, he slides into the seat across from her. 

“Detective Ward,” she says, smiling slyly, although it seems more forced than usual. “What brings you here?” 

Her voice is strangely hoarse and a little shaky. Her usual lazy, devil-may-care demeanor is gone, though she seems to be trying to fake it. Instead, she’s tense and tired. 

“Working late,” River answers honestly. “Wanted to grab a bite before I head home. Your excuse?” 

V shrugs, “Long day. Home seemed far away and rain isn’t as bearable on a motorcycle.” She reaches for her coffee, takes a sip, making a face. “Cold,” she mutters. She’s clearly been here a while. 

“You alright?” River asks. “You look..” he trails off, searching for the most polite way to express what he’s thinking. 

She lets out a half-hearted breath of a laugh, “Like shit?” 

“Something, like that, I guess.” “Like I said,'' she sighs. “Long day.” 

“I know the feeling,” River nods. “Spent the whole day cleaning up messes made by my gonk coworkers.” 

Maybe if he offers a piece of his own struggle, she’ll open up. She strikes him as the sort of person who’ll keep everything locked up tight unless someone comes and forces it out of her. 

“Yeah? Sounds annoying.” 

“Sure is,” River agrees. “Guess that’s what I get for taking something to internal affairs.” 

“Eh, fuck ‘em,” V says, waving her hand dismissively. “They’ll never be half the cop you are.” 

“Well, I’m sure glad the mercenary with a criminal record thinks so,” he jokes and they both let out awkward laughter. 

V’s gaze drifts to the window, her eyes unfocused. 

“Alright, V,” River takes a breath. “What’s bitin’ your ass tonight?” 

She looks at him with an expression he can’t quite read. Somewhere between mistrust and suspicion and the shaky moments just before someone breaks down completely. She says nothing for a moment, mouth opening as if to speak but no words coming out. 

She settles on, “I dunno, River.” 

“Come on,” he pleads. “You’re talking to one of the only people in this town who might get it.” 

Her eyes search his face and she lets out another long sigh. “My job… what I do… well, I spend a lot of time around less-than-reputable people. You cops, you have the luxury of believing that everything is black and white, right and wrong, good and evil. My job… it’s all grey area. I’ll always be the first to admit that I don’t always make the right choices.” 

“Then how was today any different?” 

“Because sometimes jobs get handed to me, jobs involving the most fucked situations, the most fucked people, and… and I got no illusions about what it is I do. I’m no saint, no vigilante. I’m in it for the eddies at the end of the day. But… but sometimes I… sometimes it’s about more than just getting paid.” 

“Like Jotaro?” 

“Yeah,” V agrees, looking down at her hands. “Like him. Scum like that, well, as fucked as it might be, there’s pleasure in wiping it off the face of the earth.” 

“I know what you mean,” River reassures. He’d be lying if he said he’d never enjoyed the killing of someone who’d caused so much pain. 

“I got a job earlier,” V continues. “Find a raw BD in a Maelstrom occupied warehouse. Scroll was of a twelve-year-old preacher’s son getting murdered. Fixer believed that the raw scroll would help identify the killer.” 

“Shit…” River whispers. 

“Yeah, shit,” V agrees, refusing to meet his eye. “It's fucked up. Most of the time that wouldn’t bother me so much. Ain’t nobody in Night City that isn’t miserable. Death is just so… normal here, no one ever bats an eye. But lately… I dunno.” 

River nods. V puts her head back in her hands, taking a few minutes to compose herself. He can’t tell if she’s distraught or furious, or both. 

“I sneak in to where they edit the footage,” V says, continuing her story. “Father and son, nice little family business.” Her tone is all venom, the words leaving her mouth like spit intended for the shoes of an enemy. “Point the gun at them, tell them to grab me the scroll of the kid getting killed or… well, ya know. And they ask me to be more specific.” 

River feels a chill down his spine. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? “More specific?” 

“Age, race, gender, method of execution… like I was ordering a fucking sandwich from them or something. They edit enough of the BD’s, they don’t even know which is which.” V’s fist lands hard on the table, knuckles white. “What the fuck is the right thing to do in that situation? Sure, maybe they didn’t kill those kids themselves, but they’re making money off of it. They’re just as guilty. But killing them, as satisfying as it might seem, wouldn’t change a damn thing.” 

“Tell me where they are. NCPD can do a bust, arrest them,” River suggests, but her face tells him she’s not a fan of that idea. 

“That’s not the point, River. It doesn’t matter. They don’t matter. Whether they end up dead or arrested or continue to live and do what they do, nothing changes. Let’s say I did kill them, and honestly, I really fucking wanted to. Still do. Still half-tempted to go storming in there and kill them all. But those kids in the BD’s, they’d still be dead. Nothing will bring them back. And if those guys weren’t making those BD’s, someone else would be. Cut off one head, two more always pop up in its place. It doesn’t change anything. This city doesn’t forgive and it doesn’t care.” 

River nods slowly, unable to form a proper response. She’s right. She’s completely right. It's what he’s struggled with his whole career; he’s spent his whole life fighting a system that doesn’t care. 

“I understand,” he says, simply. He has no words of comfort. 

“I know you do,” she says, smiling sadly at him. “You were right about you being the one person in this city who might actually get it.” 

The waitress comes by and River orders a cup of coffee and a skop-burger. V stares out the window the whole time. 

“There’s no such thing as justice in Night City,” she says once the waitress leaves. “The city doesn’t care.” 

“Yeah, but someone does,” River counters. She looks at him funny. “You got that BD, right? Maybe they will catch the killer. At least get a little justice.” 

“And if they can’t? If it doesn’t help?” 

“Then you tried, right? You gave it a shot, and that's a hell of a lot better than doin’ nothin’ at all.” 

She sighs. “Maybe you’re right. I just… sometimes I think the city is eatin’ me alive. Like I shoulda stayed out when I had the chance, and now it’s too late. Now I’m in up to my knees and sinking fast.” 

“I know the feeling,” River agrees. “I’d leave if there was anywhere else I could go. But I can’t run from this city just yet.” 

“It pulls you in,” V says, so quietly. “Left for two years, shoulda stayed gone. Had my chance to get out and I fucked it up, blew it. Shoulda stayed gone.” 

“Where’d you go?” 

“Atlanta,” V breathes. “They said it was real nice there. Got sick of all the violence here, tried to find a slice of happiness somewhere else. But honestly, it really ain’t all that different anywhere else. In Atlanta, it looks prettier, but it’s the same fucked shit. Corps still stomp on all the little guys, worlds still on fire, people still kill each other. Same shit, no matter where you go.” 

“Why’d you come back?” 

“Honestly,” V says, chuckling. “I wanted to be a Night City legend. Wanted to make a name for myself, get filthy rich, ya know.” 

“Not anymore?” 

“I dunno… maybe not. Might not have the chance. Think I flew too close to the sun… got too ambitious.” 

“If you don’t want to be a legend, what do you want?” 

“Right now, I’m just trying to keep my head above water.” 

Lightning strikes somewhere close by, and both look out the window as thunder rolls. 

“Thanks for the talk, River,” V says, standing up. “Think I’m gonna go drink myself into a stupor and sleep for fourteen hours straight.” 

“Wait, V,” River says, standing. “It’s still pouring out there. Gimme a second to box up my food, let me drive you home. Can put your bike in the back of the truck.” 

She smiles, “My place is all the way out in Watson, it’s probably out of your way.” 

“Doesn’t matter,” River shrugs. 

She gives him a look he can’t quite read. “Okay, sure.”


	5. Peter Pan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V and River hunt down Randy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe this bitch is long and sad and angsty. apologies for the slightly longer wait, I am between living situations and my life is chaos.

_ “To die will be an awfully big adventure.” _

  * _J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan_



It’s amazing how many things can go wrong in a matter of two days.

In two days, River had learned that his nephew may not have just up-and-run-away, and then, a day later, he got suspended. If, for a moment, he had naively believed that things were looking up finally, he’s been thoroughly set straight.

But he isn’t about to let this go. Randy’s out there, and now River’s only mission, hell or high water, is to bring that kid back to his mother alive. The force can’t stop him. They can suspend him, put a restraining order on him, arrest him, but he won’t stop until he knows Randy is safe. 

His only lead now is the comatose man’s dreams. He has a chance at getting his hands on the scrolls, but he’s no BD editor. Hell, he doesn’t even have a wreath of any kind. He could find one for cheap somewhere, probably, but he wouldn’t have the slightest idea what to do with it if he did. 

No, he can’t do this alone. 

It’s been a few days since he saw V. A few days since he drove her home early in the morning. She clearly has her own shit to deal with. But damn does he need help. And damn does he need it from someone he trusts.

V might be shady. She might have her secrets, her potentially bloody past, but she seems to genuinely care what happens to people; what happens to him. She was half-way to a panic attack when he got shot in the leg before, and that wound, even if they hadn’t reached Vik’s in record time, probably wouldn’t have killed him. She cares.

He trusts her. Trusts her enough, at least. And there’s no one else he can ask.

~

V takes a moment to marvel at how shitty her night is going. Her meeting with Goro’s Arasaka contact, Oda, was a splendid disaster. Their subsequent conversation with Wakako went better, but it’s been overshadowed by the fact that not-twenty minutes after leaving Jig-Jig street, some gonk had tried to mug her. 

He didn’t get away with it, of course. V doesn’t have her lifetime of boxing experience and her top-of-the-line cyberware for nothing. But her nose is broken  _ again _ . She doesn’t know how many times it’s happened. It’s already permanently crooked from repeated hits to the nose. Boxing, after all, is something that takes time to learn. You’ve got to get punched in the nose enough times to learn to keep your hands up.

At least she can still revel in the memories of the other day; of cruising through the badlands with Panam, rescuing Saul from the Raffen’s in what should have been a suicide run. Even swallowing a pound of sand in the storm had been worth the evening drinking whiskey with Panam. That had been the best of days.

Part of V wishes she hadn’t gotten so attached to Panam already. Hell, she’s forming all kinds of new attachments these days. Judy and sort of Evelyn. Panam and the Aldecaldo’s.  _ River, maybe _ .

It’s bad timing that she finds people to care about when she’s about a hair's breadth away from her untimely end. It’s not fair to them, but she can’t bring herself to just cut them off either.

Now V is sitting on her bike, parked just by the bridge that connects Westbrook to Watson, using her rearview mirror to set her nose again. Her holo rings and she automatically answers it.

“ _ V? _ ” Rivers voice patches in just as she cracks her nose back into place, stifling an angry grunt with a colorful string of Spanish expletives. “ _ V? _ ” River says again, a little concerned.

“River?” She says, ignoring the pain in her face. He sounds  _ off _ . Tired, maybe? Or more than that. Her gut is telling her something is wrong.

“ _ Hey _ ,” he says sheepishly. “ _ I need your help _ .”

It’s not the way he asked before. Before, it was work-related. Business. Before it was a favor. Now, she can tell, it’s personal.

“Sounds like it,” she says softly. “What happened?”

“ _ We shouldn’t talk about this on the holo. We gotta meet. _ ”

“When and where? Tell me.”

“ _ Glen, tomorrow night. I’ll flick you the details. Will you make it? _ ”

“Of course,” she nods, meaning it.

“ _ Thanks, V. Till then. _ ”

He hangs up. She sighs. She doesn’t know how she ended up with a soft spot for a fucking cop, but here she is. 

“Don’t go, V,” Johnny materializes, leaning against the lamppost in front of her. “You’re already too involved with this; you got your own problems.”

“I already know how you feel about ‘im,” V shoots back. “But River isn’t your average pig. Try seeing past that for a second, yeah?”

“Whatever, dig your own damn grave, then,” Johnny waves at her dismissively and vanishes as quickly as he appeared.

V rolls her eyes, revving the engine of her bike and taking off. 

~

V’s already there when River pulls up, her bike propped up against the wall next to the stack of boxes she’s sitting on. She looks as shit as he feels. The bridge of her nose is purple and blue and her nose is just a little crooked looking.

When she sees him, she stands and immediately hops in the car. 

“Boxing?” He asks, eyebrow raised in an attempt at lightening his own mood.

“What, this?” V points at her face. “No, some gonk tried to mug me with nothin’ but a baseball bat.”

“Ah,” River nods. 

It seems like she’s thinking of making a  _ you should see the other guy _ joke, but she’s studying him with an expression he’s never seen on her face before.

“How ya holdin’ up?” She says, one of her hands coming to rest gently on his shoulder.

“Been better,” he admits, his voice feeling rough in his throat. “I know. Prolly not hard to tell.”

V nods. “What happened?”

“Needed someone to talk to.” River looks away from her, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. 

“Mhm?” 

“First, take a look.” He uploads the clip to her and watches her eyes turn blue.

She watches the newsreel silently.

“This ‘Peter Pan’ - he an old case, you were lookin’ for ‘im?” She asks.

“Never heard of him. Didn’t cross my desk.”

“What’s the problem if they caught the guy?”

“My nephew, Randy, disappeared not long past.” River swallows hard. “And what you just saw - kid was wearin’ Randy’s shoes.”

“Oh, Jesus,” V whispers, and River can almost feel her heart sink. “Randy’s disappearance, know anything else?”

“My sister and I don’t get along that well… I don’t know much. Just wish I coulda been there for ‘er when she needed it most.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Riv,” V squeezes his shoulder. “That sort of thing’ll kill ya if you let it.”

“I know,” he sighs.

“Your supervisors figure you’d get too emotional? Kept you off the case?”

“More like a restraining order,” River grunts, his sorrow turning to fury. “Won’t let me anywhere near it. Gonaghal took the lead on it - lazy ass gonk. And so far, he ain’t accomplished shit.”

“No way I’d let this lie,” V clenches her fists.

Something new has fallen across her face. Something angry and determined. River likes to think it’s because she cares about him and his situation, but his instincts tell him there’s more to the story. 

“I know,” he says, nodding. “And that's why I’m askin’ for your help.”

~

V attempts to tease River a little when he suggests breaking and entering. It gets a little chuckle out of him, but he’s still out of it, his mind far away. 

“Lucky for you,” V had said, “I am an expert at getting into places where I’m not wanted.”

“I can’t imagine not wanting you,” he’d responded. She thinks it was meant to be sarcastic, but there’s a tinge to it that makes V’s stomach do something odd.

V leads him into an alley, climbing up some boxes and hoisting herself over the wall. The ladder is even easier to find and the window comes open with a simple quick hack. V silently commits the shit security at this precinct to memory, just in case.

They don’t find the BD for a bit, both of them anxiously searching. V thinks for a moment of her own sister. It’d been over two years since she’d spoken to her. As far as V knew, she was married now and had a kid. If Mia needed help, would V be there to help her? Would she even know what was going on? 

When Yawen shows up, River’s wound so damn tight V thinks he’s going to explode. V steps between him and the doctor after she points out he was kicked off the force (suspended, apparently, the gonkbrain didn’t think to mention that??), attempting to appeal to her better nature. And when she insists River’s never let her down, that they’re friends… and he doesn’t correct her.

V thinks the whole thing went as well as could be expected. They’re allowed to waltz right out the front door as if they hadn’t come in through a back window, the doctor might help them if they can find something to stimulate Anthony Harris’ brain, and V even manages to get in a few questions about the relic with Yawen. The doc doesn’t have answers, but V isn’t sorry she tried.

“Cops seem to like you,” Johnny materializes outside the station as she’s on her way out. “Could be this one’s sniffing around for somethin’ extra?”

“Whoa?” V can’t help the surprised gasp that escapes her. Sure, she’d looked, looked and enjoyed what she saw, but River, as far as she could tell, had never so much as ogled her ass when he thought she wasn’t looking. “No, River’s all right.” She tries to hide how flustered the comment made her, but it’s no real use; Johnny feels what she feels.

“Mmm, yeah,” Johnny rolls his eyes, clearly not convinced.

V reins herself in. “Can tell ya got somethin’ to say, so say it.”

“Me? No, no. Just maybe this cops flyin’ straight into your pants.”

“Quite an observation on human behavior comin’ from a fuckin’ stack of data in my head.”

V marches away towards River, who’s nearly back to his car already. If Johnny being Johnny isn’t bad enough, V’s head is killing her.

Her day began with vomiting blood and she’d been pushing through the killer headache and ringing ears since then. But now, right now, of all times, is when it decided to get bad. 

She knows her demeanor has changed, but she ignores it and drags herself towards River’s car. If she can just make it there and pop an omega blocker, she can make it through the rest of the day without collapsing. She just has to get herself there.

She’s nearly there when her knees buckle, the ground racing towards her face, pain piercing abruptly through her skull and chest and stomach. Needles of pain stick into every inch of her body. She can’t hear anything anymore, the malfunction drowning out reality with its own special breed of ear ringing. Her optics are flashing red, so much so that she can’t see a damn thing anymore. She feels the scream in her throat, but she can’t hear it when it escapes.

Strong hands grip her shoulders, dragging her to a sitting position. 

“Mierda,” she grunts furiously. She was so damn close.

The red flashing of her optics subsides enough for her to see River in front of her, concern written all over his face. His eyes are glowing, and she realizes he’s checking her vitals.

“‘M fine,” she says harshly. “Don’t worry about it.”

River gives her a look that says  _ yeah, right _ . “How do you feel?”

“Preem,” V mutters, attempting to push herself up off the ground.

Another wave of white, hot, electric pain sears through her body. This time, she bites down her scream, gritting her teeth against the pain. Her arm gives out and she falls again.

This time, River catches her, one arm behind her back, the other under her knees. He carries her bridal style the rest of the way to his car and gently settles her in the passenger seat. 

V’s face feels hot and wet, and she realizes her nose is gushing blood.  _ Fuck _ .

River’s fishing around in his glove box and he finds a roll of paper towels. He tears off a wad and brings it to her nose. 

“V?” He says, squeezing her shoulder tightly with his other hand. “Can you hear me?”

“Mhmm,” she grunts. “I’m okay, it’s already passing.”

“What the hell was that?” River asks, allowing her to mop up the rest of the blood on her face herself. 

V shakes her head. River needs her right now, not the other way around. The relic is her issue to deal with. It’s the last thing he needs on his mind.

“Don’t worry about it, Riv.”

“No, don’t bullshit me right now, V. I’m not in the fucking mood for your half-truths.”

V looks up at him, shocked. He’d never once spoken to her like that.

“River--” she begins shakily.

“V, if you’re not gonna tell me, at least tell me if you need some help. I don’t know what that was, but you were clearly in pain and that’s a lot of blood to come out of a person’s nose. And your damn vitals… I thought you were flatlinin’ on me.”

V feels tears threaten suddenly, and she tears her eyes away from him to look out the front windshield.

“‘M fine, for now, Riv,” she says quietly, ignoring the shake in her voice. “It’s mostly passed. Won’t have another attack like that for a week at least.”

“So this happens a lot?”

“Lately, yeah, I guess,” V shudders. Her life is a nightmare these days, but how does she explain that to him? “It's a long story, Riv.”

“So tell me.”

“I will,” V nods. “But not now. I promise, I will,” she insists when he cocks an eyebrow at her, “but Randy needs us more right now, okay?”

River fixes her with a hard stare for a moment, as if he’s sizing her up again.

“You ain’t gonna flatline on me anytime soon?” He asks, and she can hear the genuine worry in his voice. This is about more than just her help saving his nephew.

She sighs, smiling reassuringly. “No, no I ain’t. And if I do feel another attack coming, I’ll warn ya, okay?”

“Okay,” he nods. “You better.”

He shuts the door of the truck and climbs into the driver's seat. V pretends not to notice the way he warily eyes her as he shifts into drive. She feels guilty now. Guilty for scaring him like this. He deserves better.

~

They drive in silence for a little while. V is oddly quiet. There’s certainly a lot to process on both ends. Rivers worrying. The whole reason V isn’t telling him what’s going on with her is probably to keep him from worrying, but he’s going to do it anyway.

And V, V is probably thinking about him losing his job. He should’ve told her, he knows that. He just didn’t want her to judge him.

“Okay,” He says finally and she glances at him. “Lemme hear it.”

She sighs. “Lost your badge, didn’t tell me about it, why?” Her voice sounds more even, more normal now, and River is relieved. Maybe that episode of hers had actually passed, she isn’t just bullshitting him so he won’t pry.

“I…” he begins, trying to come up with a good reason. “...don’t know.”

“Makes you a bit of a leadhead, doe’n’t it?” She says, a smirk beginning at the edges of her lips.

Again, he’s relieved. The V he knows is shining through once again, the V that can tease him about anything in any situation and make him laugh when there are a billion things weighing him down.

He chuckles half-heartedly. “That it do.”

She doesn’t say anything more, just smiles reassuringly. He finds himself kind of amazed she drops the whole thing, just like that.

“It’s just uh… it’s not easy for me to talk about what’s bitin’ at my ass.” He says after a minute.

“Fair enough,” she nods. “Could tell me where we’re headed, though.”

“To Joss’s,” he answers. “Randy’s mom. She thinks he just ran away from home. For now, keep the kidnapping between us.”

V nods her agreement. “Tell me more about Randy. What kinda kid he is.”

“Petty theft, drugs, runnin’ away from home - that kind,” River says, but he no longer feels the anger he once felt at his nephew. 

“Cop uncle’s really see the best in ya…” V says distantly, but her face has twisted oddly and her eyes are far away. 

River shrugs. “There’re people who always find their way into trouble. Randy’s one of ‘em.”

“I know the type,” V says, her voice nearly a whisper, like she’s talking more to herself than anyone else.

Worried he’s going to lose her again, he gives her a look. “V, you alright over there? Another attack on its way?”

She glances at him quickly. “No! I just… just Randy… sounds awful familiar, his type.”

He raises an eyebrow at her and she sighs heavily.

“Just sounds like a younger version of… well… of me,” she finally spits. “Petty theft, drugs… runnin’ off. I was… nothin’ but trouble.”

“Really? Can’t imagine it,” River says sarcastically and she laughs a little. “I’m sure you weren’t that bad.”

“No, I was,” V laughs nervously, her eyes drifting away. “Hell, the drugs and the stealing wasn’t even the worst of it. Ran with the Valentino’s for a time, got into some pretty rough shit. And the runnin’ away, well, once I made it as far as the border in a stolen truck before cops caught up with me. But uh… I like to think I turned out alright. Few wrong turns, but… well, when we find him, Randy’ll be okay.”

“You are alright, V,” River agrees. “Found your way in the end. Yeah, maybe that spells hope for the kid.”

He tries to imagine what younger V was like. What drove her to run so far? What drove her to join a gang like the Valentino’s? And what changed her course for the better? Maybe one day, she’d tell him.

She’s making an odd face, like she isn’t quite buying what he’s selling, but she doesn’t push it.

“So, why’re we not looking for Harris’ apartment?” V asks instead.

River shakes his head. “It’s a house. And I doubt he’s keepin’ his victims in his basement. An’ besides, wanna see if we can find some connection to Harris at Randy’s.”

“Pretty weak lead,” V says softly. She’s fiddling with the zipper of her leather jacket.

River nods. “Best we can hope for just now.”

“Not worried Yawen’s gonna toe the line, rat you out to her superiors?” V asks, abruptly. 

She seems worried, antsy, off. It’s strange. He’s never really seen her get fidgety.

“Used to be friends, doubt she’d do that,” River reassures. “Plus, not that I’d use it… but I do know one skeleton she’d prefer remain tucked in her closet.”

“Think she’ll actually help us, all things considered?”

“Yeah. These tiffs of ours always end up the same way. Tell ya about it over a beer sometime.”

V smiles genuinely, her sly confidence returning all at once again. “Sign me up. We find Randy, then we can find the bottoms of a few bottles.”

River’s heart skips a beat, and he tries to ignore it. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

~

When they finish searching through Randy’s trailer, V feels like she’s going to throw up. The whole abduction thing is all too familiar. It’d be sickening, even without her own experiences to add, but the more she learns about this Randy kid, the more she sees herself in him. The more she learns about his situation, the more she sees her own past.

River sends Yawen the cartoon and V accompanies him to give Joss the abridged updates. V can’t imagine how Joss feels right now. Sitting across the table from her, all V can see is Mama Welles after Jackie died. V keeps feeling like she’s back in the Coyote the day of her best friend's funeral, sitting across from Mama with a beer held tightly in her hand. What V wouldn’t give for a beer just now, or at least a smoke.

Joss gives V the okay to sleep in Randy’s trailer for the night. V feels weird about it, but she wants to stay close in case anything comes up. Joss isn’t gonna end up like Mama Welles and Randy isn’t gonna end up like Jackie. V’s gonna make damn sure of that.

River disappears out the front door, probably needs some air, leaving V alone with his sister. 

“Hang in there, Joss,” V says, taking the woman’s hand and giving her a reassuring squeeze. “River and I, we ain’t stoppin’ til we know he’s safe.”

Joss looks up at her, giving her a strange look. “Thank you,” she says with muffled force. “Where’d River find you, anyway?”

“Chubby Buffalos,” V deadpans, earning a small chuckle from the older woman. “He saved my life not all that long ago. Guess that earned him a friend for life.”

Joss nods. “You’ll have to tell me that story sometime.”

“I will,” V agrees. “For now, you should try and get some rest. As soon as we know something, you’ll know too.”

Joss squeezes V’s hand in return, nodding. “Okay. Thanks, V.”

When she leaves, V goes out to the porch. River is sitting in his car, clearly working through things in his own way. V figures it’s best to let him have his moment, let him deal with this on his own for a bit. 

She sits on the steps, lighting a cigarette. She’s going to have nightmares tonight, she can already tell. 

This case; things she’d convinced herself didn’t bother her anymore were now at the forefront of her mind, like a scratch begging to be itched. Things V was sure she buried are climbing back out. 

She finishes one cigarette and lights another, not ready to face sleep just yet.

“Didn’t take you for a smoker,” River says. 

V doesn’t know how long he’d been standing there, watching her. She was so focused on her smoke, so focused on pushing away the bad thoughts and the nightmarish memories.

She shrugs. “Everyone’s got a vice.”

“Suppose so.” He sits next to her. “What’s on your mind?”

V isn’t about to tell him she’s been pretending like she can’t remember anything before she left for Atlanta. She doesn’t need to regale him with her stupidly tragic life story. He doesn’t need to hear that.

“Just uhh… mothers losin’ kids.” V decides it’s the safest option. River can smell her bullshit a mile away, so she’ll throw him a bone, albeit a small one. She owes him that much. “Known a few, well, one in particular.”

“Yeah?” River’s eyebrows knit together.

“Yeah,” she nods, taking another long drag. “Someone, well, a good friend of mine died not so long ago. His mom, she’s… well, she’s tough but… but there’s nothin’ worse than burying your kid. She’s… struggling.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, V,” River says almost automatically, but his face is soft.

“Don’t be,” V waves him away. “Just know that I ain’t lettin’ that happen. Joss ain’t gonna be that way. We’re gonna find Randy, alive.”

River looks at her strangely, sizing her up again. “I can’t quite figure you out, V.”

“How’s that?”

“Just, when we met… you work hard to put on this tough, aloof merc facade, but it doesn’t take all that much to peel back the layers and see that maybe there’s a real person under all the guns and cyberware.”

V chuckles. “You’ve seen through me, then, I see. Guess I don’t really feel like I have to hide around you. The mask can come off. Don’t let that go to your head.”

“Rare thing, that. Don’t seem like you relax around anyone.”

“Can’t. Most people in my life only care about what I can offer them. It’s all biz. Side effect of my career choice.”

“I know the feeling,” River agrees. “But you and I, we’re different I guess. Been a long time since I could trust anyone, so… thanks for being that, V.”

V feels like all her words are stuck in her throat.  _ Trust _ . He trusts her. 

“You’re so fucked,” Johnny offers helpfully.

She ignores him.

“Anytime, River,” V says quietly. “Back atcha.”

She snuffs out the butt of her second cigarette. 

“Feelin’ better?” River asks, and she realizes he’s talking about the malfunction.

“Y-yeah,” she stutters. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“Good,” he nods, looking into the dirt.

“We should both get some rest,” V says, looking away. 

River clears his throat. “Yeah, you’re right. G’night V, sleep well.”

_ Fat chance. _ “You too.”

He heads inside and V watches him go, her heart pitter-pattering so fucking fast. There was something unspoken in that exchange, something that leaves V wondering. Damn, she really shouldn’t get attached, shouldn’t let him get attached. She’s a dead woman walking. But it might be too late. She ignores the burning in her chest and heads to bed.

~

V screams out when River tries to shake her awake, throwing a blind, clumsy punch in his general direction which he barely manages to dodge.

“V! It’s me!” He says forcefully as her eyes blink open.

She looks like a deer in headlights for a second, eyes wide, body tense and sweaty. She’s wearing nothing but her dirty muscle-tank and underwear, her jacket, pants, and shoes all in a pile at the foot of the bed.

“Fuck,” she grunts. “Sorry.”

“S’okay,” he puts a calming hand on her shoulder. “You okay?” 

He knows that look in her eye. He’s seen hints of it before, but she always masks it with her easy confidence and devil-may-care smile. Now, it’s on full display; the haunted look of someone who’s been through some fucked shit.

“Mhm,” she nods, rubbing her face. “Just a bad dream.”

“Okay,” he says, electing not to push it. If she wants him to know, she’ll tell him. “Well, Yawen got back to me. He’s dreamin’ we got a scroll.”

“Shit,” V grins. “Really?”

“Yeah. Ready to take a look?”

“Yeah, lemme find my wreath.”

She’s on her feet, dragging her pants on and rifling through her bag. She pulls out the wreath and slots in the shard he gives her. Once she’s hooked up to the monitor so River can watch too, she places the wreath on her head.

V goes through the scrolls with the name methodical intensity she did before. She doesn’t miss a single detail, switching layers and analysing every second of every scene. The only indication that she’s bothered by what she’s seeing is her clenched fists. River hovers close, in case she needs a break, but she doesn’t even slow down.

She comes out of the BD a little dazed, but now she’s as wound up as him, determined and ready for action.

“Okay, so where do we sit now, exactly?” She asks after a couple of deep breaths.

They talk it out, go over each of the clues from the scroll, each mentally narrowing down the possibilities.

River lands on Edgewood Farm. It’s the only farm that meets all the criteria.

V tugs on her shoes and slips her shoulder holster on under her jacket, checking each of her guns. Harris is dead, they probably won’t need them, but it’s probably a habit for her.

Then they’re out, moving towards the truck at top speed. As soon as the passenger door shuts, River’s moving, headed out of the trailer park and into the badlands. River knows he’s speeding, knows he’s driving carelessly.

V doesn’t comment on it. She knows.

“Damn it,” River mutters. “Let this work.”

All the anticipation, the fear, the worry, the anger, it's all hitting him at once again. He’s starting to spiral.

“It’s gotta work,” V mutters, her voice strained. “Done more in two days than the NCPD accomplished in weeks.”

“Not hard to do, but yeah, you’re right. Thanks, V… for everything.”

She gives him a goofy, lopsided smile. “We’ll find him, River.”

River clenches the steering wheel, knuckles on his ‘ganic hand white. “If I’d only known sooner how he felt, what was eatin’ at him…”

“This isn’t your fault,” V says forcefully, loudly enough that it's all he can focus on. Her voice. For now, until they get there, he’ll focus on her voice.

“I’m his uncle, V. And I wasn’t there for him.” The panic begins to overwhelm his senses. “Fuck!”

“You  _ are _ here now, that’s what matters,” V’s hand goes to his shoulder, squeezing lightly. “He’s gonna be okay.”

They turn on a dirt road leading up to the farm.

As soon as the car stops, V’s out, River not far behind. Before he’s shut his own door, he hears a yelp and the sound of the passenger window shattering.

“V?”

She appears around the back, cradling one of her arms. “Stay low, turrets.” 

“You alright?”

“Mhm, just grazed me. I think I can deactivate them from here. Mines too, just might have to do ‘em individually.”

While she goes to work, he scans the area. Turrets at the house and barn, mines all over the yard. 

“Front of the barn’s a damn deathtrap,” River observes.

“Not anymore,” V says through gritted teeth. “Let’s move.”

The turrets are deactivated and the mines don’t explode. Good sign.

The barn doors are locked, but V is moving faster than River. She finds a ladder around the side and is on the roof before River can totally process anything. 

She finds a way through the roof and they make it inside. There are multiple kids and River sprints from one to the other, searching for Randy. He finds him, unconscious but alive.

V races around, switching off the system and helping River with Randy before unhooking the other kids while River calls it in. Back up arrives quick, and V sticks close to River and Randy as soon as they do.

~

There’s a cup of coffee in V’s shaking hands, but she can’t bring herself to take a sip. She gave her statement to the police. They stitched her up. Now she’s just sitting, waiting, trying not to think too hard about what she just saw, about what these kids went through.

Trauma Team showed up and finished the job of unhooking the kids from the system. V’s more than happy to let them take over, now that her adrenaline is wearing off and she has to think clearly again. At least before, she could let instincts take over, do what needed doing without thinking.

“Doc said you took the stitches like a pro,” River comes into her line of sight, dragging her out of her head. “No anesthesia?”

“Ain’t the first time I’ve been stitched up, won’t be the last.” She finally takes a sip. The coffee is still warm, comforting. “We did it, River.”

“Yep, we sure did,” he says, but he doesn’t sound pleased. “But I’m not about to leave it like this. The horror that bastard inflicted… can’t let it go.”

“Whaddaya wanna do? Zero him?”

“Exactly,” he says and V squeezes her cup tighter. This isn’t the River she knows. “Squeeze the life out of him with my bare hands. Sick fuck has to die.”

She lets out a pained sigh. “Don’t. Your family, they need you more than ever right now. Harris is a veg, let ‘im stay that way. There are fates worse than death.”

He gives her a strange look and puts his head in his hands. “Maybe you’re right… it’s just…”

“I know,” V agrees. “Believe me, I know. And if you need me, River, I’m there.”

“I know,” he puts a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll remember. Need to be with the family now, though.”

The TT guy calls River over. They’re leaving, River’s going with. V doesn’t want to watch him go, but she has to.

“Really, V, thanks. Couldn’t’ve done it without you.”

“Don’t mention it,” she says automatically. “Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

“Okay,” he agrees. 

He’s about to walk away, then he stops, turns back to her, and wraps his arms around her. She hugs him back. She thinks maybe the hug lasts a little longer than is strictly necessary, but she’s not complaining. Then he’s getting in the TT AV and flying away. 

Johnny was right. She really is fucked.


	6. Sunlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> V and River have dinner at Joss's. Their endless dancing around one another comes to a head, and feelings are finally on the table. But, as always, there's a catch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest part yet, and its fluffy and smutty and a litttttllle angsty. Hope y'all like it.  
> PS, I suck at smut, so hopefully it's okay.

_ “She wasn't exactly sure when it happened. Or even when it started. All she knew for sure was that right here and now, she was falling hard and she could only pray that he was feeling the same way.” _

_ ― Nicholas Sparks, Safe Haven _

Two weeks pass in a blur. V’s life is pure, unadulterated chaos. From breaking into an Arasaka facility to trying to get in contact with the VooDoo boys, plus her usual workload of random gigs, V is beat. 

There’s still some time before the parade and she’s still waiting on a call back from Mr. Hands about the VooDoo boys, so all there is left to do is wait. Waiting, despite the unending ticking of the clock. Who knows how much time she actually has left.

Today, she’s having her version of a break. She’s drinking. She’s only three tequilas in at the random bar she found at two in the afternoon. Only one guy has tried to hit on her so far and she shut that one down real fast. Johnny is being quiet, sensing her impending bender and clearly thrilled she’s giving in to another of his shit habits. 

She’s barely tipsy, though, her tolerance is fucking stupid. A fourth tequila, then her phone rings.

It’s River. Her heart flutters and her stomach leaps.

Despite her best efforts over the last two weeks, V keeps thinking of him. It’s stupid. She feels stupid. But his stupid face keeps making her smile and every text or call she gets disappoints her when it’s not him letting her know he’s doing okay.

But now it is him. It is him. And she’s unsure how to react. She answers.

“ _ Hey V _ ,” he says. He sounds cheery. V feels a grin spread across her face. “ _ You been feelin’ all right, I hope _ ?”

“Course. Why, whats up?”

“ _ Just callin’ to invite you to Joss’s for dinner… _ ” he sounds strangely sheepish. “ _ I’d love it if you swung by. Whaddya say? _ ”

“Was beginning to think you forgot about me,” V teases. If he thinks she’s acting weird, she can blame it on the tequila. Hell, she may just do that anyway. 

“ _ Forget about you? Never. Now are you comin’ or ya gonna make me grovel _ ?” She can hear the smile in his voice.

“Be great to see all you guys.”

“ _ Prime! Heh… Joss’ll be thrilled. _ ”

_ Just Joss?  _ “Sounds great.”

“ _ I’ve missed you, y’know, heh…” _ he chuckles nervously. 

V’s heart is in her throat again. “Actually missed you too, River.”

“ _ I’ll see you at Joss’s?” _

“See you at Joss’s,” V agrees. 

“ _ Perfect! Till then… then. _ ”

He hangs up, leaving V to smile at her phone like a dumb teenager with a crush.

~

V turns up ten minutes late. She kicks up all the dirt on the road with her bike as she comes to a stop just shy of the back of River’s pickup. Despite himself, River grins

Since… well, probably since he met her, but most notably since they rescued Randy, she’s been the primary thing on his mind.

Of course, there’s been Randy and the conclusion of that investigation. There’s been moving back in with Joss. There’s been watching the kids while Joss is visiting Randy. There’s been his next steps now that he’s decided he’s not returning to the force. 

But V is always in the background of those thoughts now. She’s always lurking, her smirk flashing across his mind every time anyone says anything funny. Someone mentioned tattoos the other day and his mind immediately went to V’s ink (she had a lot of ink, he wondered if she had more in places he hadn’t seen, then he cursed himself for thinking of it). He keeps finding himself reaching for his phone, wanting to tell her about every little thing that's happened since they last met.

He voiced this to Joss, unsure what to make of it. At first, being the lovely sister she is, she teased him about his ‘school-boy crush’ on the violent mercenary. But she listened and they talked it out. Joss knows how women work better than River, so her words (“she likes you, you gonk”) were comforting.

But it’s more complicated than he likes her, she likes him. More complicated than Joss could ever really understand. 

His mind keeps jumping to her ‘attack’, as she called it. She’d collapsed in the middle of the road without warning. Her vitals had been all over the map. Her nose had bled worse than he’d ever seen in his long career of fight-induced nosebleeds. And the way she talked about it made it seem like such a thing was a fairly frequent occurrence. 

That and the nightmare she’d clearly been having when she stayed in Randy’s trailer. Something in V’s world is incredibly fucked, that much is crystal clear. But maybe, just maybe, he can help her. She helped him, afterall. Helped him without ever asking for anything in return. Now, maybe it’s his turn.

She looks almost healthy. The dark circles under her eyes are still present, but they seem to have lessened. Her smile is wide and genuine and slightly crooked, beyond her typical smirk. She’s wearing tight leather pants and a cropped muscle-tank, and her dark aviators are holding back strands of her short, dark hair. As she approaches, he can see the slight break in the ink on her arm, where that bullet grazed her. The stitches are gone, leaving only a thin pink scar and a little patch of bare, untattooed skin to show that it ever happened.

Monique and Dorian are on V before she can get close enough to say hi to him.

“Hey, what’s up?” She hugs them as best she can with them attacking her all at once.

River waves. “Hey, over here!”

She drags herself free of the kids, who playfully chase her for a moment before returning to whatever they were playing previously.

“Glad you’re here!” River grins at her.

She leans lazily against the grill in front of him. “Glad I came. Sorry I’m late. Last job ran a bit… long.”

“Yeah?” River raises an eyebrow. He’s torn between curiosity and the mischievous glint in V’s eyes that says he might not want to know.

“Got distracted rescuing an ungrateful monk,” V supplies. “Apparently saving his gonk ass wasn’t worth all the dead Maelstromers.”

“Heh, you’ll have to tell me more later,” River chuckles. “For now, I need your help cookin’.”

“What’s on the menu?” V says, taking a hearty sniff.

“Jambalaya,” he answers. “C’mon, you can stir the meat.”

“Um, soymeat?” V raises an eyebrow but takes the spoon eagerly. “Okay.”

She stirs quietly for a moment while River works on preparing the next additions to the pot. 

“This an ancient Ward family secret?”

“Uh-huh,” River lies. She doesn’t need to know he looked up this recipe a few hours ago in the hopes of impressing her. “Onions, paprika, thyme… Just need to mince some celery and garlic. But you stir, please stir.”

“I’m stirrin’, I’m stirrin’,” she protests, but he hears the playfulness in her voice.

“Bet my socks you’ve never had better jambalaya.”

She just laughs. It’s so genuine, so full of pure, real joy. For just a moment all the worries are lifted from her face. For a moment, he looks at her and sees a young woman enjoying a nice afternoon instead of a battle-hardened merc who never lets her guard down.

“How’s Randy holdin’ up?” She asks after a bit. 

River sighs quietly. “He’s looking for his old self. Physically, though - it’ll be a long road before he’s back to full health.”

“And mentally?” V looks haunted again. “That was some experience…”

“What Harris did to him, fucked as this might sound, might’ve helped the kid,” River says softly. “Could be wrong, but… it feels like a clean break for him.”

V nods knowingly. “It will be,” she says, but doesn’t elaborate. “Somehow look different than usual, today.” Her tone has changed from that seriousness she took on when discussing Randy. It’s playful, maybe even flirtatious. 

“Is that so?” He asks, raising an innocent eyebrow at her.

This is their game, he realizes. Each of them testing the previously set limit inch by inch, seeing if the other will give or take. At least, that’s what he hopes is happening here.

“Yeah… different meanin’ normal. As if you got a good night's sleep.”

“Mh, well, wanted you to see this side of me too,” he grins at her strange praise. 

He glances back at her and her eyes dart upwards, playing innocent.  _ Was she staring at my-- _

“Honestly? Thought you were kidding about the cook-off. Or that Joss’d sweat away in the kitchen, while…”

_ While what, V? _

“How?” River chuckles. “Joss doesn’t know the first thing about cooking. Actually, I like to torture the foodstuffs, heh… haven’t had many opportunities lately.”

V goes oddly silent for a long moment. River thinks he’s starting to get to know her pretty well because he thinks she’s mentally gearing up for a heavy question.

“Don’t mean to spoil a nice day, but I gotta ask…” she mutters, low enough that she can be sure the kids won’t hear. “What about Peter Pan?”

“You’re askin’ if I killed him.” River hates himself a little for doing anything to make her wonder about such a thing. That side of him, that isn’t who he is, isn’t something he wants to be defined by, isn’t a piece of him he wants her to remember. “We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Sure, no pressure,” she agrees. “It’s just I… y’know.”

“I know.” He nods. 

The radio plays softly, that same stupid rock station V seems to love. He’s found himself listening to it a lot lately. 

“Alright, I think you’ve stirred enough.” He takes the spoon from her, leaning in just enough that he can catch her scent. Normally, she smells like a mix of copper and perfume. Today, she just smells like perfume; lavender perfume. “Mind grabbing the rice from the kitchen?”

“Yes sir.” She raises one hand in a mock salute before winking at him and heading for the trailer. 

When she returns, almost five whole minutes later, with Joss close behind, he thinks she might be blushing a little. It’s obvious she and Joss have been talking, the question is what about. River tries not to think about what Joss might’ve said. He loves and trusts his sister, but she’s not the most subtle.

But V doesn’t say anything to him, she just walks over with the box of Basmati rice in her hand.

“Tomatoes in next,” River says, pouring them in. “Now you can toss in the rice.”

“Okay,” River grins at her. “Now this has to bubble and brew. Patio?” He heads for it and she’s close behind. “Grab a chair… and a beer, or somethin’ else.”

She sits while River opens a pair of beers. She leans back, crossing one leg over the other, brushing hair out of her face. She looks relaxed. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen her let her guard down before and something in his stomach flip-flops at the thought that she’s able to find that around him.

River thinks that V is the only person he’s let his guard down around, too. 

He tells her about his parents, about the traumatic, painful way they died. He tells her why he couldn’t kill Anthony Harris, no matter how badly he wanted to. She listens quietly, her left hand gripping the beer bottle for dear life, her right resting comfortingly on his shoulder. When he’s finished, she offers words of comfort and understanding. River has always figured her own childhood was fucked up, and now he’s almost sure of it, even if she hasn’t offered any details. Maybe, in time, she will. V is the sort of person who hides from her own fear, he thinks. 

Then, they play a game with the kids. It lightens the mood. It’s fun and V is surprisingly good with Monique and Dorian. She lets them win, purposely missing most of her shots. 

“Thanks for letting the kids win,” River touches her shoulder gently after Joss calls the kids to the table. 

“What?” V exagerates. “No way, they had me flat beat.”

They both laugh before heading over to the table themselves. 

Joss and the kids are discussing the game when V and River sit down. Joss has been looking better lately too; hopeful.

“Time to see if this tastes as good as it smells,” his sister grins at him, dishing up bowl-fulls for everyone. 

They all eat in silence for a while. The jambalaya is good, really good. River’s proud of himself, proud of the way V eats it like she hasn’t eaten in weeks. From what he’s seen, she lives off street food and anything you can microwave fast. Maybe, if things go well tonight, he can change that a little.

“Unemployment’s been good to you,” V comments, smiling genuinely at him. “You seem good.” She looks pleased, like she’s glad he’s doing well.

“River’s discovering the joys of family life,” Joss says before River can respond, only teasing him a little.

He grimaces a little. “That and police duty - never a good mix. This here’s a way to get some of those years back.”

“I haven’t seen him this… untroubled in a while,” Joss says, nudging him playfully. She’s happy, really happy, that he’s back with the family, and he knows she’s grateful to V for being the reason for that. That, and she’s hoping he and V will get together. “What about you, V? You got a family, or just relations?”

“If the future allows it, I… I’d like to have one someday.” V’s eyes are far away for just a minute. River thinks he notices a hint of that same haunted expression. “If for no other reason than that I love get-togethers like this. Right now, I’ve got… a sorta… adopted mom and some friends here and there, but thats really about it.”

“Well, you brought my family back to me,” Joss smiles gently. “And I’m grateful.”

V looks down at her food, blushing a little. “If you say so, Joss.”

“And my brother likes you…” she grins, the cheekiness rich in her voice.

_ Of fucking course, _ River thinks. “Joss!” He protests.

“Well, why hide it?” She says, as though it were that simple.

He glances at V, who has frozen, eyes darting between him and his sister, expression unreadable.

After a second, V takes a breath. “C’mon Joss. You don’t see wedding bells in my future, surely?”

It is tough to imagine, V in a white dress one day. Tough to imagine her settling down for anyone. She expressed a desire for a family one day, but she believes it’s impossible, for some reason.

“Why not?” Joss asks.

V gulps, the haunted look returning. There’s definitely something, something big, that she hasn’t told him.

“Who thinks V and Uncle River make a good couple?” Monique says abruptly, startling all the adults at the table.

She and Dorian both raise their hands. Joss just giggles hysterically, trying to hide it behind her hand.

“I do,” V chuckles, raising her hand.

River’s heart feels like it’s going to pound out of his chest. She’s looking at him differently than she had before, eyes searching his for something.

“V just voted!” Dorian laughs.

River puts his spoon down. “Well, that’s decided.” He gets up, gesturing for V to follow. They need to have a conversation about this and he doesn’t want to wait. 

“Got an 11-99, officer needs backup,” V giggles sheepishly, getting up.

River laughs.  _ Damn, this woman _ . “C’mon, pull ya outta this ambush.”

She jogs after him, catching up quickly. They both shout thanks to Joss before he starts leading V towards the hill. He’s nervous, more nervous than he ought to be. He knows V, trusts her with his life, but all of a sudden the dynamic has shifted. He thought maybe she shared his feelings, or at least that there’s a mutual attraction, but the reality of it is much more frightening, and of course, equally exciting.

“Phew,” V chuckles nervously. “Situation was gettin’ dicey.”

Is he hallucinating the nervous fidgets, the way her hands are messing with the hem of her tank top? 

“That’s what partners are for,” River says. He tries to put on a calm, cool demeanor, one that mirrors V’s usual easy confidence. Seems he’s not the only one having some difficulty with that. “You were about as hair's breadth away from having to look at photo albums.”

They start up the hill. V’s not far behind him, and he can feel her presence. He can’t tell, but he thinks it got a lot hotter outside, all of a sudden.

“This a romantic stroll, by chance?” V asks with a hint of mischief.

“Not about to pick you flowers, if that’s what you’re asking?” River says, trying to play it off. It’s a small thing, but he wants to surprise her. They’re almost to the gate. “Here we are.”

“What’re we lookin’ at?” He glances back to see her gazing up at the water tower.

“A water tower,” River says, stating the obvious. “Great spot.”

“Great for what?” She’s got that sly smirk back on. 

They’re doing it again, their game of give and take, of pushing the edge. Only now, the stakes feel higher and V’s not giving up her advantage, not yet at least.

“For, y’know, the views,” he shrugs.

She chuckles low in her throat. “The views. Right.” She’s teasing him, and he’d be lying if he said he doesn’t like it.

He rolls his eyes and moves to open the gate. “This way… ah fuck. Gate’s stuck again. Gonna fix it one of these days. Lemme give you a boost, climb over, open it from the other side.”

“Yeah, okay, good.”

She comes over, putting one foot on his hands where he’s braced for her, using her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. He pushes her up and she grabs onto the top of the fence, gracefully swinging herself over the top of it. Then, the gate flies open. She’s standing on the other side, looking all too pleased with herself.

“On our way,” River grins, taking up the lead again.

He heads for the ladder. 

“Area’s not bad, actually,” he comments as V’s eyes drift around. “Unlikely to dazzle, make a good first impression, though.”

“Certainly no corpo plaza,” V agrees quietly as they climb.

“No, life’s livable here,” he sighs. “Know of worse places to raise kids.”

“Randy’s problems with the law? Those didn’t pop out of thin air,” she points out.

“True, but Randy takes after his old man. He’d find trouble in a nicer neighborhood, too.”

V chuckles. “Reminds me of someone.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, myself.” She gets to the top of the last ladder and River offers her a hand, helping her onto the platform. “Can’t judge the kid too much. Found my fair share of trouble, too.”

“I’m sure,” he laughs. 

She’s mentioned it before, her troubled youth. It doesn’t surprise him. The moment he met her, he had her figured for an ex-Valentino, based on all her ink and it’s style, and her slight accent and tendency to curse loudly in spanish.

The view never fails to steal his breath.

“Apparently the worst city between the Atlantic and the Pacific,” He says, glancing back at her. “But I sure do love this view. Find it calming.”

V’s eyes scan the horizon, an expression on her face he’s never seen before: awe. She looks younger, suddenly. The weight of the world has been lifted off her shoulders for a moment and she looks all shiny and new and young. He realises she can’t be past her mid twenties, even if the shit life’s thrown at her forced her to grow up fast.

He sits, and she settles right next to him, her bare shoulder brushing against his. 

“View’s to die for. Great spot indeed.” She’s smiling, real and raw and it warms his heart.

He grins at her. “Told ya.”

She nudges him playfully. 

“So, I uhh… got somethin’ for ya.” He pulls out his gun, passing it to her.

The surprise shows on her face. “Wow.” She takes it gingerly. “What's the occasion?”

“Aimin’ to close a door. Cop stage of my life is done,” he says simply. “This thing holds too many memories, won’t let me do that. It’ll serve you better.”

He likes the thought of her going through Night City with his old gun, using it to keep herself alive, like even when he’s not with her, he can still protect her.

“Thank you,” she whispers, turning the weapon over in her hands. 

“Just promise you won’t blow your foot off.”

She snorts. “Oddly specific request.”

“Joss’s husband did it. Drunk. This very spot.” 

“Which made it your special spot!” She elbows him, grinning mischievously. “Family landmark?”

“Somethin’ of the kind,” he chuckles. Almost a full minute passes before River works up the courage to break the ice. “Alright, V. You know why we’re here, don’t ya? Say you do. Please, don’t string me along.”

“That the pickup line you settled on?” She teases. “‘Cause, maybe heard three in my life that were worse, and just a little at that.”

“Wouldn’t mind hearin’ ‘em,” he smiles.

She regales him with a few tales of the gonks who tried and failed to woo her, and he gets her back with a shitty pickup line story of his own.

“By the way,” she says quietly before River can get to the segway he was hoping would take him to a real, solid answer from her. “Name’s Valerie.” 

He knows V isn’t her real name, but he’s surprised she told him. 

“Huh,” he sighs, looking at her.

“Valerie Salomé Dávalos. Some people call me Val,” she continues. “Not a lotta people know that, but I figured you oughta. Don’t let it go to your head.”

“I won’t,” he says, his heart pitter-pattering at full speed. It seems like such a little thing, but for her to trust him with this means a lot. “It suits you.”

“Yeah?” She raises an eyebrow at him. 

“Yeah.” He nods. “It’s pretty.”

She chuckles and he thinks she may be blushing a little.

“I see what you’re doin’, River,” she says as she gazes back out at the city for a moment before her eyes come back to rest on him.

He shifts the way he’s sitting, moving so he’s facing her, his shoulder brushing against hers again. 

“And how am I doing?” He asks. “Do I stand a chance?”

“Just don’t fall in love with me…” her eyes drop to his lips for a moment, her voice low.

He sighs, “Too late, V. Too late.”

She leans into him, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss. Hers are impossibly soft. Her left hand comes to rest on his shoulder, her right on his cheek. He supports them with one hand, letting the other find her hip. It’s soft, sweet, gentle, but long. The way she presses against him tells him everything he needs to know. 

When they do break apart, they stare at each other through heavy-lidded eyes for a second.

Then River stands, helping her to her feet. At first, it’s almost a mad dash to get down the water tower. River’s almost ready to take her then and there, but it’s too public, too easy for them to be spotted. He wants to give her more than just a good fuck, wants to show her how damn much she’s come to mean to him.

They don’t make it all the way back to the trailer before her arms are around his neck, kissing him hard this time. The second kiss is all tongue and teeth, passion and desperation. She wants this as much as he does. 

She pushes him against the wall of Randy’s currently-empty trailer, pressing a brutal kiss to his lips. Her hands run down his chest to his legs, brushing all-too-lightly against where he needs her attention the most. He’s painfully hard already and has half a mind to just tug her pants off right here.

Her hands are on his belt when a whistle grabs their attention. A couple guys from the area are watching them, amused grins on their faces. If he wasn’t so damn hard already, he might even be embarrassed. But right now, all he can really focus on is V and how good her body feels against his and how everywhere she touches feels like she’s setting his skin on fire. 

She giggles and pulls away, taking a few steps towards the trailer. He follows, not taking his eyes off her. 

They’re as quiet as they can be coming in. He can hear Joss in the shower as they move through the living room. He presses a finger to his lips as they pass Monique and Dorian’s room, where the kids are sleeping soundly. 

He offers her his hand and she takes it. As soon as the door closes, she shoves him none too gently against the desk by the wall, pressing another bruising kiss to his lips. She palms his clothed cock and he moans into her lips. 

In an attempt to pull her closer, he elbows a bottle, knocking it to the ground. It clatters loudly. Her hands freeze on his chest as they both stare at it, frozen for a moment. Then he does pull her as close as possible, one hand pulling her chin so she locks eyes with him again. 

Now he takes the lead, his hands on her ass, squeezing. He kisses her like a dying man and he feels her melting against him. 

There’s a noise outside in the hall and both of them break the kiss long enough to stare. Perhaps it’s best if he locks the door.

He gestures towards it and she nods, breaking away and moving towards his bed. He opens the door, checking the hallway. It’s empty, totally devoid of life.  _ Good _ .

The door shuts and he locks it, turning around to see a sight that rivals the view from the water tower. 

V’s lying on her side on the bed, her clothes in a pile on the floor. She’s the most gorgeous damn thing he’s ever seen. Her dark hair is all wild. Her tattoos are incredible. He thinks of the patience it must’ve taken to sit down under the needle long enough to get all that work done. 

He just takes a moment to admire the view, letting out a breathy chuckle. 

She sits up, reaching for his hand. He allows her to guide him onto the bed, her lips finding his once more. Her body presses against him, her thigh putting enough pressure between his legs for him to buck into it involuntarily. He grunts into her mouth, his fingers finding a bruising grip on her hips. 

V smiles into his mouth, biting his lower lip playfully as she finds the bottom of his tank and begins to work it over his head. He can’t argue with that, allowing her to remove the garment. He works at the laces of his boots, kicking them off and dragging his socks off with them. 

V finds the buckle of his belt. She undoes it and begins to maneuver him so he’s lying on his back. He lets her take the lead for now, watches her slide his pants and boxers down his hips and legs. His cock, already leaking precum, springs free. V tosses his pants on the floor without bothering to see where they land. 

She wraps her hand around him, giving him a few lazy strokes that have him groaning. 

“Val…” he tries to say, but she smirks and licks the underside of his dick. 

For a moment, he doesn’t think he can handle her teasing. He wants nothing more than to flip them over and fuck her until she’s screaming. But this drawn out burn is unlike anything he’s ever done before. Most of the time, River takes charge, his main focus is to make his partner and himself come fast. He’s never been the sort for the drawn-out, romantic sex. But V is different. He loves the little power struggle between them, the game they’re playing here. With V, he wants the moment to last as long as humanly possible. 

She doesn’t tease him for long. He can tell her own need is growing, based on the way she gently rubs her clit and the sweat beginning to build on her face. She climbs up towards him and straddles his hips. He lets his hands roam from her shoulders to her chest, from her breasts, down her stomach to her hips. 

Another noise comes from the hallway and River’s head jerks towards the door. 

V grabs his chin, roughly turning his gaze back to her. And damn if it isn’t the most magnificent sight he’s ever seen; her perched above him, eyes blown with lust, mouth hanging open slightly. 

She releases him, putting one hand right next to his head to brace herself as she uses the other to guide him inside. 

They both shudder and groan as he enters her. Her head drops and she lets out a long sigh. He lets her take it as slow as she needs, he isn’t small, after all, and he gives her a moment to get used to the feeling of him fully seated inside her. 

She leans down and kisses him. Her forearms come to rest on either side of his head. 

She begins to move, rotating her hips languidly at first, but speeding up before too long. River bucks up, his hips meeting hers with each thrust. 

He lets out a few grunts, louder than he anticipated them being, and V claps one hand over his mouth right as she grinds down on him even harder. He’s glad her hand muffled him, because the moan that comes out of him would have woken the whole damn house otherwise. 

From there, she rides him more ferociously, chasing her own release. River’s grip on her hips is bruising. She bites her lip to keep the small whimpers from escaping but he can still hear the muted versions. She’s so pent up, she’s trembling. 

River decides to take back some control. He sits up and she doesn’t protest, just lets her hand fall from his face. He wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her into him harder. For a moment they just sit like that, her in his lap, them grinding against each other like they’ll die if they stop. 

He lets his lips trail down her chest, kissing the details of her ink as he takes them in. His mouth finds one nipple and closes around it gently. Her head falls back as she lets out a long, pleased sigh. 

Then he lifts her, her thighs tightening around his waist, and presses her back against the window, kissing her hard. He taps her leg gently in warning before he lets her down. He pulls out and turns her around, taking generous handfuls of her boobs. 

He pushes back inside her, and sets a rough pace. She braces herself against the window and tilts her head back so it just barely rests against his shoulder. Her mouth is open, eyes shut as she moans softly. 

The windows are one-way, but even so, the thought of passers by seeing her pressed against the glass, him fucking her hard really does something to him. 

This position doesn’t last long. He wants to see her, see her come undone for him. He can tell she’s close. Her body is tense, taut, ready to break.

River turns her around and she wraps her arms around his neck. As gently as possible, he lays her down on the floor. He was planning on heading back to the bed, but suddenly the bed is too far away.

He moves his head between her legs, kissing and licking and sucking. It doesn’t take much for her to come. She bites her lip to keep from moaning too loud, her hips bucking up against his face. He holds her legs steady and gives her a moment to come down before he resumes his work. 

She brings his face to hers, kissing him gently now. Her body is warm, and everywhere her skin touches his feels like it's been set on fire. How did he get so damn lucky?

V uses her legs to pull his hips towards her and River doesn’t need to be told twice. He enters her again, chasing his own end now. Her hands are everywhere, his face, shoulders, neck, chest, as he pounds into her steadily. He brings a hand to her clit, rubbing in time with his thrusts.

Her coil breaks again, her walls tightening around him. River barely manages to pull out in time, coming on her stomach with a final groan before her collapses, nearly on top of her. 

They both lay there for a long moment, still tangled in each other, catching their breath. 

~

It’s almost seven when River wakes. It seems early, but he’s had trouble staying asleep lately so this is downright sleeping in. V’s still asleep next to him, her breath even and her face peaceful. She needs the rest, so River slips out of bed quietly, doing his best not to wake her while he gets started in coffee and breakfast.

It feels kind of silly, but he wants to spoil her as much as possible, make sure she knows she deserves it. 

He sets about making pancakes, enough for everyone to have some. Once he’s got a full plate, he starts the coffee. The house is still silent, aside from him.

“Hey…” V says, yawning. 

He hadn’t heard her get up. He glances behind him at her. She’s wearing his stupid tank top,  _ Fuck The Police!  _ And she’s thrown one of his button downs over her shoulders. It practically goes down to her knees. Her hair is still mussed up. All sleepy and rested, she’s just so damn cute. How the hell did he fall this hard?

“Hey,” he returns, his smile widening. “Coffee’ll be ready in a jiff.”

She yawns again. “Preem.”

Seems like she needs the caffeine. He wonders if she’s a cup-of-coffee-every-morning person. 

“Talked in your sleep, y’know,” she says.

He raises an eyebrow. “Yeah? I dreamt of a warehouse, searchin’ containers in it.”

“Warehouse must’ve been huge,” V chuckles sleepily, rubbing her eyes. “You were loud.”

She had slept soundly, like a brick, like she doesn’t spend a lot of time sleeping in places where she can get good rest.

He chuckles too, handing her a mug. “Taste it. Best coffee you’ve ever had, I bet.”

She leans against the counter, taking the mug and sipping. “Best jambalaya, best coffee…”

“Mhmm, come on, keep it comin’, and…”

“Just that.” She’s grinning cheekily. 

He sighs, letting his thoughts run free for a second. 

“So, I been thinking…” he says, and V’s face changes. 

She looks worried all of a sudden. “What?”

“Last night, you an’ me, is this goin’ anywhere, y’know, longer term?” He can’t shake the idea that he doesn’t mean to V what V means to him. 

V looks away for a moment, the haunted look in her eyes returning.  _ Here it comes. _ “Listen River, what happened, it was real, it was good.”

“But?” 

“I can’t make any plans for the future. There’s this thing…”

“That you couldn’t tell me about. I know. Call it veteran cop intuition.” Cops intuition, or just watching her nearly die in the middle of a road for unexplained reasons and waking her up from a nightmare. “That’s why I told you about my parents yesterday.”

“To give me courage, boost it?”

“Ah, no. So you’d know exactly how fucked up I am, give you a chance to consider if you even want me.”

V puts her coffee down. She’s looking at the floor and he realises she’s shaking. 

“Fuck,” she mutters. “I shoulda told you a while ago. Shouldn’t’ve let it get this far, let myself get attached, let you get attached.”

“V--”

“I’m dying, River,” she says, so abruptly that he’s stunned into silence.

He stares dumbly at her for a second. “Wh-what?”

She looks like she’s about to cry. “I’m dying. I don’t know how much time I have left. I’ve got this damn malfunctioning biochip in my skull and it’s killing me slowly.”

Pieces start clicking together. “The attack you had in the road…” he manages.

“Yeah, and it’s gettin’ worse.”

“You gotta take it out,” he tries to suggest,, but falls silent when she shakes her head.

“Can’t, Riv,” she sighs. “No ripper in the whole city could get it out without killing me. It’s got an engram on it, and it’s overwriting my neural network, but my neural network, whatever’s left of it, can’t function without the chip anymore.”

“Wait, an engram? Like a person?”

V nods. “A digitized soul, direct from fuckin’ Arasaka. Johnny fuckin’ Silverhand. Yes, that Silverhand.”

River blinks. “How-how does that work, exactly?”

V shrugs. “Hell if I know. All I know is one day, it ain’t gonna be me at the wheel. He’s gonna take over. The line where he ends and I begin is gettin’ blurrier and blurrier every fuckin’ day.”

“And Johnny, he’s, what, in your head?”

“Basically, yeah,” she says. “I see him, talk to him. Sometimes I see his memories. And he can see mine, see my life, feel what I feel. It took some getting used to.”

“And he’s here… now?” It is going to take some time to wrap his head around all of this.

“He’s bein’ quiet now. Had loads to say about me fuckin’ a cop, though,” she laughs, but it forced.

River shakes his head. “No, there’s gotta be a way to save you. There’s gotta be.”

“I’m tryin’, River. I got leads. Most of them are probably dead ends, but I am tryin’. Just… just racin’ against the clock.”

She’s shaking badly and she puts down her coffee, looking deliberately at the floor instead of at him. 

He pulls her into his chest, hugging her tight. “I… fuck.”

She hugs him back, burying her face in his chest. “I… it’s so fuckin’ unfair.” She pulls away, brushing tears off her cheeks. “If things were different, Riv, this… you… fuck, I want it. Want to be a part of your life. But I won’t make you watch me die. I won’t make promises I might not be able to keep.”

“V…” River sighs. “This doesn’t change how I feel about you. I won’t run from this, from you. You helped me, now let me help you.”

She looks at him. “So you… you still wanna be with me? Even if I’m…”

He puts his hands on her shoulders. “‘Course I do, Val. But, well, what do you want? I’m here, if you’ll have me, but it’s up to you. Are you willing to give this a shot?”

He means it. It’s scary as hell, the reality of it, and he doesn’t think it’s fully sunk in yet. But she needs help, and he’s not gonna let her go that easy.

She sighs, but she smiles softly at him. She leans in, kissing him gently.

“This works, River. I like bein’ around you. Let’s give it a try.”


	7. Misery Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long couple of days, V shows up at River's seeking comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! I apologize for the wait, my life is chaos and I've had writer's block. This chapter is a bit shorter for that reason, but there's more to come. I am still so endlessly in love with these characters so I have a lot of content planned. Just be patient with me.  
> This chapter and the next few are mostly nice, fluffy moments (and a bit of angst) between River and V and the Ward family. More to come, hopefully soon.

_ “One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” _

_ ― Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Bums _

It’s almost seven at night. V’s been up for almost 36 hours. It's the longest she’s gone without even a short nap in years. She shoots River a text. 

_ V: Hey, mind if I drop by? _

_ River: Course not :) _

After a long, shitty day, she just wants to see his stupid face. She’s sore and exhausted. One of her ribs is probably fractured from her fight with Sasquatch. There’s still blood crusted under her nose from the VooDoo boys failed attempt at zeroing her. Her clothes are still damp too. Everything feels shitty and horrible right now. 

He’s on the porch waiting for her when she gets there. She wonders what she must look like right now, given the look of concern on his face.

“Hey there, lover,” she says, swinging her leg over the side of her bike.

“Hey you,” he says as he embraces her. “Found trouble?”

She chuckles. “How fucked up do I look?”

He winces, all the answer she needs. “How’s the other guy?”

“Most of ‘em are dead, spared one, the last I really fuckin’ wanted to kill but I figured it was in my best interest to  _ not  _ start a war with the entirety of Pacifica,” V says and River raises an eyebrow.

“I think you owe me a story… also, why are you all wet?” River knows she had biz in Pacifica; he’d been sitting next to her when Mr. Hands  _ finally  _ called about getting her a meet with the VooDoo boys.

She does feel a bit like a drowned rat. “Ugh, that is almost a longer story than the rest.”

“Want some dry clothes?” He offers. 

This is the first time they’ve seen each other since their first night together but V feels none of the awkwardness she had with lovers of the past. They just have this groove they’ve fallen into so easily,

“That’d be preem,” she nods and he guides her inside.

“Well, it’s Randy’s first day back from the hospital so we ordered some pizza. Everyone else already ate but I saved you some.”

“Aw, you didn’t need to do that.”

River raises another eyebrow at her. “When was the last time you ate?”

V wracks her brain. She definitely hasn’t eaten since she infiltrated the GIM. And she can’t remember very clearly when she ate last before that.

Her hesitation is enough for River. “My point exactly.”

“Wait!” V says, grinning. “Had a microwaved burrito for lunch yesterday.”

“First of all, that is barely food, certainly not substantial,” River rolls his eyes. “Second, V, that was  _ yesterday _ .”

She shrugs while he rifles through his dresser for some clothes that might fit on her. “Been a busy couple of days.”

If River really is unwilling to count the burrito, then technically the last thing she ate was his pancakes almost two days ago.

“Too busy to actually take care of yourself?” He hands her a shirt. “Do I wanna know when you last slept.”

She grimaces. “With you, the other night.”

He sighs, trying to hide his worry with humor. “V, please…”

“Hey, like I said, it’s been busy. I haven’t had a chance.”

He gives her an exasperated look while she strips her wet clothes off and pulls his shirt on. When she’s redressed, a pair of his over-large sweatpants cinched comically around her waist, he pulls her in for a tight hug. 

He smells like lavender-scented cologne and the desert, a combination so utterly  _ him _ . 

“Well, you must be starving,” River mumbles into her hair. “Let’s go warm up some food, yeah?”

When it comes from his mouth, she can’t say no. “Mhmm,” she hums.

Joss and Randy come back into the kitchen while River warms up some pizza in the microwave. V is sitting on the counter and she greets them warmly. Just a moment ago, River had been informing her of all the updates. Randy is recovering nicely. Joss is, of course, all over him trying to make sure he’s comfortable. River is trying to hang back, only butt in when he’s needed. 

“How ya doin, Randy?” V asks while Joss asks River something about the generator. 

Randy looks at her with an odd expression, sizing her up. “I’m alright. Been feelin’ better.”

“Good to hear,” V smiles. “Good to see you on your feet.”

“Thanks. It’s… nice to really meet you. Uncle River’s been talkin’ about you nonstop.”

V finds herself blushing. The microwave dings and River thrusts the plate in front of her. It’s got three good sized slices on it and she gets the feeling they’re not going anywhere until all three slices are gone. 

_ He’s such a dad _ , V thinks, and the thought makes her heart skip a beat. River really would be a great dad. V never really thought super hard about whether or not she wanted kids, she’s always been focused on whatever insane goal was in front of her at the time. But now, being denied the possibility hurts. She can see herself with River, long term, but she doesn’t have long at all. It’s so damn cruel, so unfair. 

Randy sits at the kitchen table with them for a bit. V gets him talking about music and once he’s on that road he won’t stop. The kids got pretty good taste. A little heavier than V would go for, but if she were three years younger, she’d definitely be all in. 

Then Joss wrangles the kid into getting ready for bed, insisting that it’s late and Randy needs lots of rest. 

V finishes her pizza. She doesn’t want to admit she feels worlds better. Her headache, she thinks, has eased a bit and the roiling in her stomach isn’t as bad. 

V and River find themselves on the front porch, River’s arm wrapped around her shoulders while she savors a cigarette (she’s trying to limit herself to one a day, now, and this is already her second) and tells River the whole story. 

She keeps the parts about Evelyn brief, only explaining enough for him to understand what led her to the VooDoo boys in the first place. He listens quietly, but his face twists uncomfortably when she talks about the Netwatch agent and how Placide had set her up. He looks angry or worried, or maybe both. V doesn’t feel as angry as she did, considering she definitely broke the guys nose and she’s pretty sure he was just doing what he thought he had to do. She’d certainly done worse for less in her life.

She ends the story with how she stumbled outside of the church, barely managing to stay on her feet through the malfunction, and texted him, asking to come over. He rubs small circles on her shoulder with his ‘ganic thumb. 

He stays quiet for a long moment, considering everything she’s just told him. 

“You are okay, though, right?” He asks finally. 

She nods. “Yeah. Not the greatest day but it’s over now.”

He sighs softly, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. “I just…” he trails off before he can finish.

“I know,” she agrees. He worries, he wants to be there, wants to help her, but she has to keep him at arms length as much as she can. For his own good; for his family’s. “Hey, listen, I got this thing tomorrow.”

“Job?”

“Sorta. More like a race. Wanna come watch?”

He raises an eyebrow at her. “A race?” 

She nods, grinning. “Yeah, a race. It’s out in the Badlands. Dangerous as hell, but it’ll be fun! Joss and Randy could come too, if they wanted.”

He squints at her, a bemused smirk creeping onto his face. “Racing another one of your ‘hobbies’?” 

“Just come watch, you’ll see.”

He chuckles. “Alright, alright. Think I can clear my schedule for that.”

She laughs. “Right, of course, Mister Unemployed is very busy these days.”

~

Somewhat against his better judgment, River finds himself standing at the race's starting line that afternoon. There are six cars lined up, all of them look like nomad-style vehicles; these cars are built for desert driving.

Randy and Joss are close behind him. Joss had not been a huge fan of the race idea when River suggested it that morning. V had already left, slipping out early that morning because apparently, a fixer needed her immediately, so she hadn’t been able to explain the whole race thing more clearly. River doesn’t really entirely understand what's happening here, if he’s being honest. Randy really wanted to go, though, and Joss, unwilling to let him out of her sight just yet, agreed so long as she came too. 

So here they are. River squints, searching for V. There’s a lot of people. He’s already run into two people he knew from the force. He can’t figure out which of the cars is supposed to be V’s, none of them look like the sort of car she would drive. He’s never actually seen her drive anything except her bike before, save for his truck that one time he got shot in the leg. He doesn’t think she owns a car, but if she does, he imagines it would be a small speedster of some kind, something fast and flashy. V was constantly in a hurry, and she like people to remember her wherever she went. 

A part of him wonder, briefly, if she’s always been like that, or if her desire to make a dent in everything she stepped in was a result of the ticking clock hanging above her head.

He finally spots her when she clambers on top of a big, black truck that's placed at the very front of the lineup and waves at them. 

She’s wearing denim shorts and a yellow busier. The outfit shows off her ink. River thinks of how they spent the previous night, her in his arms while he traced the detailed designs and asked about their significance. 

There was a story, a reason, behind every little detail. Her hair was pulled back in a little nub of a ponytail and her eyes were shaded by a pair of aviators. 

Once they’d caught sight of her and waved back, she gets off the vehicle and jogs towards them.

“You made it!” She exclaims, throwing her arms around River for a bear hug. 

He chuckles. “Of course.”

She hugs Joss and Randy too. Both of them are still marveling at the chaos.

“So, you got any chance of winning this thing?” River asks, raising an eyebrow. 

She laughs, loud and proud. “Please, River. They might as well hand me the trophy now.”

“Oh ho, someone’s cocky!”

“Well, with me at the wheel and Claire as my gunner, the competition doesn’t stand a chance.”

“We’ll see about that,” a red-headed woman says, coming from behind V. “Your turns last race were pretty damn loose.”

V shot the woman a playful glare. “We still won, didn’t we?”

“Ha! That we did,” she agrees before turning to River. “Hi, I’m Claire.”

“River, and this is my sister, Joss, and her son Randy,” he says. 

“Nice to meet you folks,” Claire smiles genuinely. “How do y’all know V?”

“River’s my input,” V explains.

“Ah,” Claire raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t know you were seeing anyone. Well, it’s a pleasure.”

“Likewise,” River agrees. “How’d you an’ V end up racing together.”

“Claire bartends at the Afterlife,” V says. 

“Heard a rumor that V was reliable, and I’d served her more than a few drinks, so I decided she was as good a racing partner as anyone.”

“Lemme guess,” River grins, “Lots of tequila.”

“You know ‘er well,” Claire laughs. “Well, race is about to start. See y’all on the other side.” She walks back to the truck.

“Can I get a good luck kiss?” V grins cheekily.

“Try not to die, yeah?” River says, but he kisses her anyway.

~

River is amazed that no one did die. 

Drones follow the cars, projecting the race onto a big screen for all the onlookers to watch.

It’s obvious that V and Claire are good. They’re pretty much in the lead the whole time, although there are two others that are pretty evenly matched. 

The truck they’re in takes a lot of damage, mostly from bullets, but also from the race itself. One car bashes the rear pretty hard, leaving dents that won’t be easy to lift later. It catches air more than once, landing heavily, with enough force to convince River he never wants to participate in one of these races himself. V scrapes the driver’s side against a sheer rock cliff face during a sharp right turn long enough that the door is hanging off dangerously (Claire was right, she does take her turns too loosely).

But when they pull up to the finish, both occupants a little dusty but entirely unharmed, they’re not only in first place but a full minute ahead of the second-place driver.

V leaps out of the car just as it’s come to a full stop and runs to River, throwing her arms around his neck. Unable to resist, he lifts her and twirls her around. Her excitement is contagious.

Joss and Randy head home, but V somehow wrangles River into accompanying her and Claire to the Afterlife for a few victory drinks. 

He’s never been inside the legendary bar before. It’s watery green lighting makes everyone inside look ghostly and strange. The music is low and thundering. In this bar, it’s not about the dancing so much as the business that goes down here. 

River thinks he recognizes a few people; people who at least once spent a day in lock-up. He hopes no one here recognizes him as an ex-cop; that probably wouldn’t go down well. 

The night goes fine. Great, in fact. They do shots, tequila mostly. Claire taps out and heads for home, leaving River and V alone together. 

They talk about nothing, just the trivial and mundane. For a moment, there’s no relic, no Johnny Silverhand, no ticking clock constantly reminding them of V’s time limit. For a moment it’s just a guy and his output having a few drinks just a breath away from greatness. 

He wishes it would never end.


End file.
